A fiery brazier at the east end of the chamber makes the air uncomfortably hot and acrid. An eight-foot-tall statue of a devil with large, curved horns stands at the west end. Across from the metal lattice is a collapsed, descending staircase. An ancient skeleton is partially buried under the rubble.
The brazier holds a fist-sized chunk of rock salt, burning with a green flame.
Seltyiel looks at the statue with some concern flitting across his face. "Another Archdevil. This one ruler of politicians and jailers. I am liking this less and less by the second."
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With Seltiyel's help Bozmir recalls from the previous room, "The paintings portray a battle between the troops and div allies of Ancient Osirion and the artificers and constructs of the Jistka Imperium. These two powerful nations clashed for several hundred years around –3000 ar, and the Jistkans eventually lost the prolonged conflict."
Bozmir nods to Seltiyel's sentiment but adds nothing more.
The echoing, lightless hall has a dark pool that extends most of its length. A walkway runs above the pool, but much of it has collapsed, leaving only the support pillars below. In the south, upon a platform at the end of the hall, stands a seven-foot-tall statue of a horned humanoid with a large, cryptic disc mounted upon its back. The hall turns to the west before the platform.
[spoiler=DC 15 Kn. (Relgion or Planes)]This is Mammon, yet another Arch-Devil. Hell’s treasurer and accountant, Mammon lurks in the dark, rat-infested sewers below Dis—a lightless realm called Erebus that is the third layer of Hell.[/url]
Seltyiel takes a look at the pillars in the water and takes a running leap at the first. Unfortunately it is more slick than he anticipated and he slides right off the end and into the water. He comes up sputtering with a dark look at all of you. "No talking of this incident. At the very least I have determined the water is safe, though it feels sticky and rather gross. I'm sure only soap will get this off. Eugh!" He paddles to the end of the hall and waits after pulling himself out.
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"If I had to hazard a guess, I think we will be visiting shrines to all seven layers of hell, But for the life of me I forget everything about the third layer."
Bozmir is honestly concerned for the pair's safety and doesn't want to risk himself, or his clothes and gear. He looks at his rope, but there's no way to feasibly use it, not even with Mage Hand. It is just too short. Time to just do it he tries to motivate himself as he runs up and leaps.
Waiting for everyone to compose themselves on the far side, he looks at Seltiyel as he openly asks "So if the next room represents the fourth layer, that will be...?"
This hallway has staircases leading down to the north and west. The wide staircase to the west leads to a room illuminated by the warm glow of a small, fuel-less forge next to an eight-foot-tall statue. The statue depicts a handsome, winged humanoid, though one side of his body is notably angelic and the other half fiendish. Skeletal remains in a red uniform lie in the middle of the room.
The human corpse has a Jistkan gold bracelet that has the head of a goat engraved on it. The bracelet has faint abjuration aura on it, and is worth 40 gp.
On the east end of this dim hallway, two staircases lead to the north and south but the one to the north has collapsed. A painting on the eastern wall depicts four figures guided along a path by a rat, a goat, a raven, and a hound. A rounded tunnel extends to the west, and glowing runes on the floor divide the floor into four areas. Stairs at the far end of the hall descend into a larger room, and a decrepit corpse wearing a silver amulet is splayed precariously across the upper steps.
Seltyiel stops everyone before you enter the main hall, "Hold here. Look at these runes, I believe they tell us something." "Well, what do you think?"
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Dissa counts the symbols, looks at the relics, and says "I think I remember this. You need the warding magic items to cross the room. Give me the other three and I will go grab the fourth from that corpse." He extends his hands expectantly.
"Then, when we have all four we can cross the room together with no cause for concern."
He brandishes the wand of Fallback Strategy , invokes the blessings of the Prince of the Moon, and gets ready to grab the fourth trinket.
Once he has the three other baubles, he braces for a swift jaunt to the silver amulet.
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Bozmir puts a hand on both their shoulders. "No need to act so rashly! Look at where the runes stop and where this man died. Let's bring the amulet to us."
After first attempting Mage Hand to take the amulet off the body Bozmir suggests looping a rope around the corpse and dragging it to us.
"Do you think we need another token? Perhaps a serpent of some kind to represent the 5th layer? It is the layer of hell heretics go to. Perhaps a holy symbol is enough?"
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"No need to be worried. Let me just grab the trinket and I will be back in 15 seconds. Then we can discuss what represents each layer." Dissa puts his left hand on Bozmir's right arm reassuringly. "I do appreciate your concern, but I feel it is unnecessary in this case."
With that, Dissa trots toward the amulet on the steps while holding the hound ring and the goat bracelet.
The air in this chamber is strangely humid, and a thin layer of fog clings all across the floor. A staircase descends from the east and another staircase to the west is fully obstructed by rubble. Several statues with serpent motifs stand in the area. To the north, a large, green stained-glass window looms behind a twisted statue of three serpentine men conjoined at the hip. Vines snake across the floor from a central pool filled with luminescent green liquid. In several places, faintly glowing arcane script inscribed on the floor tiles shines through the mist.
This ancient Jistkan temple is dedicated to the archdevil Geryon, and the faintly glowing script provides dim illumination throughout the room. The ceiling of the chamber rises to a height of 40 feet.
There is a large stained glass window in the north wall behind the statue of Geryon.
Two of the arcane wards drop as Dissa crosses the threshold to the next room, while the other two flare brighter than before.
"Well, at the very least I am glad your brain was not turned to mush with such a reckless action. Now, I for one, am interested in checking out that stained glass window."
Seltyiel steps through the room and heads towards the stained glass window. Instead of heading directly there he stops and starts reading the glowing runes throughout the room. His eyes glaze over and he stops moving near the wall.
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"I told you guys, I remembered this place from last time. As promised, all is well." Dissa reminds his companions.
Turning to Seltyiel, Dissa informs the magus, "As a paladin of Tsukiyo, my mind is quite protected from being 'turned to mush' as you stated. The Prince of the Moon has afforded me special protection in that regard."
Dissa nudges the Magus with the pommel of his Fauchard. "Speaking of brains turning to mush..."
The statue in the northeast corner lurches forward its eyes opening revealing a hellish red gaze as the serpent around its neck slithers about ready to pounce at you.
The snake successfully stretches out and nips both Bozmir and Dissa before you realize you're under attack. Seltyiel and Dulomak both stop staring at the runes all around, feeling their minds dirtied with the savage attack.
"Finally! Something I can actually injure!" cries Seltyiel as he brings his scimitar into play. It skitters off of the hard stone without doing any damage, causing the pale half-elf to curse violently.
Dissa's Fauchard smashes the statue into many separate pieces causing it to lose its animation completely. Seltyiel puts his scimitar away, rather disappointed. "Well, I guess I can look at that Mural now. By the by, there's a door right next to it, let me know when you want to continue onwards."
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"I'm fine," Bozmir answers. He asks Seltiyel, "Do you know what that was?"
He looks at the broken statue, the vines and the pool.
"Before we rush ahead, let's consider what to expect in a temple to the 6th layer of Hell." He shares whatever information he can remember.
Since he can't remember much, he holds his scimitar in both hands and says, "Ready. Let's go onward."
Seltyiel shrugs and readies his blade once more, "That was a form of Jistkan construct. The ancient people here used them for everything, including devil worship apparently. There used to be small white rods that could be used to control the beasts, but this one must have had standing orders to defend this place."
Seltyiel pushes the door open to the chamber hidden behind the stained glass window, a spell ready on his lips. Eerie green lights burn all along the walls of this laboratory. A staircase ascends to the east, and a collapsed one lies to the west. A stained-glass window looms over an operating slab where the remains of a humanoid creature lie chained to the stone. Several tablets and other strange items lie atop the various tables.
The tablets contain information about both infusing constructs with fiendish energy and the war with Ancient Osirion. One tablet details Jistkan plans to arm constructs with manufactured weapons designed to combat their div enemies.
Sitting atop the table is a bastard sword made for giant hands.
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"This feels wrong. We were sent to explore something that has clearly been explored, and yet an item of value still remains. Furthermore, the colony is supposed to be underneath the ruins. Perhaps there is more here to find." Dissa is completely bewildered by the task and the resultant exploration.
He searches with the greatest sincerity for any secret doors, traps, or passages. He also will test every piece of furniture or structural oddity to check for hidden passage.
"I suppose we should climb the stairwell and depart. What a bizarre experience. Let me just try to pack up this fancy sword." Dissa wraps the weapon's blade in old cloth or tarp, ties it in place to his pack with some of the explorers rope, and prepares to climb out of the dungeon.
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Without hesitation, Bozmir casts Comprehend Languages and begins translating the tablets out loud.
Copied from spoiler: The tablets contain information about both infusing constructs with fiendish energy and the war with Ancient Osirion. One tablet details Jistkan plans to arm constructs with manufactured weapons designed to combat their div enemies.
"Yes a strange request. We've only learned that somebody tried to hide legitimate Jistkan demon worship behind illusions and plaster. There's a mix of artifacts in the first room, we'd need to bring in a second opinion to sort it out - or a third, since we are second."
Bozmir also stays wary of hidden passages
After waiting for the sandstorm to pass you easily make your way back to Khari, and from there onto another Chelish frigate. It arrives in the evening and you have just enough time to make it back to Zefiro to explain your findings. Along the way to the museum Kontha nudges Dulomak and growls low in her throat at something overhead. Looking up you spot an avian silhouette against the moon before it disappears in the direction you're heading. When you reach it the museum appears dark and empty except for several muffled voices audible in the east wing.
Seltyiel nods and slowly draws his scimitar, "I agree, this is most suspicious. Hopefully our contact is ok, I would hate to have to pay a cleric to learn what he knows."
Double doors open into a hall filled with bookshelves, display cases, and two large tables piled with manuscripts. Several oil lamps keep the darkness at bay even at night. A rolling ladder stands at the east end of the library. Two staircases near the doors rise to the balconies on both sides of the hall. The railed balconies run across the length of the hall with a third one rising even higher to the east. There, a pair of doors leads into a second-story office.
A woman with dark, flowing hair speaks from the highest balcony. “How nice of you to deliver yourselves to me. I was just about to come find you! I strongly advise that you turn yourself in for questioning—though I must admit that part of me hopes you won’t, since our friends to the east are sure to hammer the truth out of the traitor Zefiro anyway.”
In addition to the woman above you there are a pair of brutish looking men on the balcony wielding longbows.
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"Ianareth, how nice to see you again! I feel it's been a very long time since we have met, but you still look much younger and more vivacious than the last time we met." Dissa smiles broadly and greets the woman.
"As far as you and Zefiro go, he has been kind to us. Our mission is to conduct research, and you can certainly appreciate how beneficial a historian is to that aim." Dissa tips his head toward the East wing, and continues, "Also, personally, I would prefer to see him treated kindly in return for his aforementioned kindness to us."
"Furthermore, we have concluded our investigation of the lost Taldan colony. There were very few threats, but the ones we did face were a bit... diabolical." He winks at the Chelish official, attempting to curry favor.
"How about we make a trade? You give us Zefiro, and I finally take you out on that nice dinner I promised. We can discuss whatever you like. I've been on a dusty, sandy journey and I am ready for a good meal." Dissa touches his sleeves of many garments, and is instantly draped in the noble jade green robes with cream and silver accents.
"Surprisingly, there is no seafood in the desert." Dissa chortles.