Ryn goes first, but only by maybe half a step. Ulfr is almost literally on her heels.
Zev follows in alongside Ada.
When the party steps through the portal, there's a harsh *BUZZING* sound in their ears as their bodies become lighter than air. There's a brief feeling of vertigo before they emerge on the other side of the portal...
...and into what appears to be a grand shrine.
The room shines with a golden light mixed with the crimson glow of the portal. Several golden crystals are embedded in the shrine's domed ceiling. The entire dome is painted in pigments of reds and golds and looks as pristine today as it did thousands of years ago. An altar in the shape of a seven-pointed star lies up a flight of stairs in the centre of the shrine, with a smaller seven-pointed star raised in the centre. Sitting upon the smaller star is a shard of pale blue metal, surrounded by coins and offerings.
A harsh *chittering* noise fills the room as the party emerges, and its source becomes readily clear: there are a pair of violet and red spider-like creatures flanking the altar.
They chitter in what appears to be an alien tongue...
"...yes, Iblys, I see them."
"They look greedy."
"Perhaps they seek our charge."
"Undoubtedly."
"Oh wow," Zev murmurs as he looks around. And then he sees the spiders.
"Uh... hi," he says with a tentative wave of his hand.
The spider-things glance at Zev before returning to their conversation.
"Truly, Thassilon has fallen."
"Indeed."
Saersha entered this latest room and looked around in surprise. It was amazing to see, all of the wealth made it sparkle delightfully, but luckily for Saersha Greed wasn't her thing. She noticed the pair of spider creatures and listened to what they said as well as their response to Zev's words. Sadly she had no clue what the creatures were but she recognized the language.
Saersha looked at the two creatures, whatever they were, and spoke in the same language.
The two spider-like beings abruptly stop talking when Saersha speaks. Their eyes all focus on her.
The one to the left of the stairs sniffs the air, then chitters.
"Well met, scion of Sorshen. You look upon the sanctum of Dacarys--" The left one 'bows'.
"--and Iblys." The one on the right 'bows' as well. The two spider-creatures get up.
"Your arrival is quite unanticipated."
Bowing is good. I suppose.
Ulfr stands up front with Ryn ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Ada bows to the spiders just in case. "What are they saying?
Saersha held a hand up to her friends for a moment when asked what they were saying and responded instead to the creatures in their language, "Since the Runelords fell so long ago I'm not surprised you weren't expecting us. For an heir to Sorshen to appear here in the lair of one of her most bitter rivals makes it even more so."
Saersha gestured again to her companions before continuing in the same ancient language, "My companions don't speak the language of Thassilon, do you have a means to speak in the modern common tongue or should I translate for you?"
Dacarys chitters. "No. Alaznist was... very insistent that we speak no language other than that of the ruling class."
"Meaning that should we speak your tongue, our own mouths will rot away." Iblys chimes in.
"And that is a quite unpleasant fate."
"Indeed."
Ryn's eyes widen as notes the presence of the colorful spider creatures."Shriezyx, I've read about them before, never thought I would see one. Crated by ancient wizards and clearly outliving their creators."
She looks up at the golden crystals that illuminate the room, "Well that makes sense....they're terrified of fire" she says quietly, but with meaningful emphasis.
"Me too... and of spiders." Zev thinks aloud.
Saersha nodded to the creatures and said in the same language, "I understand, I'll translate for you then. Just a moment." Saersha looked at her companions and said, "Their names are Dacarys and Iblys and they are unable to speak the anything but Thassilonian. Ask your questions and I'll translate for everyone."
"Tell them we said hi... other than that I think we're just looking for the shard." Zev responds.
I have felt the touch of Rage, and now it goes in my blood. I am here to claim its source.
"The shard?" Dacarys says, pointing a hairy leg at the altar. "Yes, the Shard of Alaznist is there."
"But you see... we cannot allow you to simply take it." Iblys chitters. "Her magic binds us still."
"Indeed."
"Dead archmagi do not rest easy, after all."
Then how do I simply Acquire it? Or Obtain it? Or even Requisition it?
The shriezyxes chuckle. "Why, there are a few methods of earning it." Dacarys says.
"A test of strength." Iblys adds.
"A test of wits."
"An offering of greed."
"Make your choice." They say at once.
Ulfr grins. Strength it is.
Ryn chuckles, knowing that the rest was irrelevant the moment they'd said strength. "You've got this Ulfr."
Ada stands back and waits to see what the test entails. Good luck Ulfr. I know you can do this."
The shriezyxes chitter. "Excellent, excellent!"
"Single combat--against one of us. The winner takes the prize." Iblys rubs its forelegs together. Dacarys steps forward.
"Prepare yourself."
Ulfr is genuinely excited and tosses aside all his extra gear. His greatclub floats in his hands like an extension of his taught arms.
Now the tale begins,
Now the tale oft told
Of Man and Beast
And battles of old!
He launches into a rhyme that shimmers with power. It urges and pulls at all of you to join in, to shout and scream and fight! He raises his club and charges!
Ulfr charges in like a man possessed, his signature Rage, barely controlled behind his iron will since he touched that pillar, rips out of him in a savage roar. He trusts the sudden ferocity of the attack to win him the first strike! The room fades and his entire focus narrows onto his foe. The monster was a corpse, they just didn't know it yet!
Dacarys barely has time to react before Ulfr's club smashes it right in the mandibles. It rears back as dark green ichor sprays from its ruined mouth before it starts flailing its claws at him!
One of its claws flails over his head, but the other three slice at him like gusts of wind.
Ulfr's rage doesn't permit him to even feel his wounds. Arcane magic pulses through him as he brings his club around at one of those claws!
But the monster's reflexes are too fast. This time.
The shriezyx tries to rake him with its claws again!
The beast's legs rake Ulfr several times.
"Get 'em!" shouts Azura, bouncing up and down on her toes and making air punches.
Ulfr is bleeding profusely from his leg and several other ponits and he can feel the blood loss start to set in. He suprises everyone and takes a step back out of reach. His rage magic ebbs as he brings other magic up from the depths of his being. He forms it into a rude gesture that launches itself from his up uplifted middle finger.
Dacarys chuckles, but not from the spell.
"I take it that your champion is conceding defeat?" Iblys replies. "Oh, it's no trouble. Another challenger? Or a different challenge altogether?"
I concede no such thing! Ulfr snarls. Of wits then! I will beat you, one way or another!
"Very well." Iblys steps forward and Dacarys retreats. The shriezyx's mouth starts to heal before the party's eyes.
"Three riddles shall I pose. Answer me true and claim your prize. Confer with your friends if you must, but only you may give the answer." Iblys taps two of its claws on the floor.
"I have often heard of a thing with a head and mouth, but it draws no breath. It has a bed, but never sleeps. And the most curious thing--it has no use for coin, but it owns a bank all the same."
"What do I speak of?"
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A river Ulfr answers immediately as a small river of blood starts to form at his feet.
"...Indeed." Iblys pauses.
"The prisoner longs for it. The tyrant suppresses it. The common man possesses it without realizing. What do I speak of?"
Freedom. Ufr grunts as his heart races and his skin goes clammy.
"Correct again." Iblys looks intently at the wounded Ulfr. "Something I've longed for, indeed."
"If you have this, you will want to share it. But when you do, you won't have it any longer."
"What do I speak of?"
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Ulfr grins. A... a.. He shakes his head. The world has gone a bit fuzzy. Secret! He blurts out.
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Iblys claps his claws together. "Indeed!"
"At last--we can finally leave!" The shriezyxes' bodies start to glow and fade.
"Take what you will. Let THAT be the final legacy of the fool Alaznist." Dacarys says as the two creatures dissolve into motes of golden light, streaming upward into the dome.
Aside the pale blue Sihedron shard, the following items are on the altar...
—30 pp, 232 gp, 1,423 sp, 2,100 cp;
—A set of spectacles with violet prisms set as lenses;
—A beetle-shaped pin that appears to be crafted from a strange, pale-blue metal;
—A bright red headband with gold studs;
—A length of ivory carved in the shape of a miniature ranseur;
—A suit of black studded leather armour;
—A necklace with three orange pearls, with one decidedly bigger than the other two;
—A flask of pale pink liquid;
—A flask of pale green liquid;
—Two dark blue potions;
—Two clear potions.
As the monsters leave Ulfr collapses to one knee. His grip on his club is the only thing keeping him upright. Ouch... he moans.
In spite of his, he uses his club to crawl/limp his way up toward his prize.
Azura rushes to provide healing to Ulfr, though she expects that Ada is doing likewise.
"Great job Ulfr! You got 'em all! You were definitely the right person for the job!"
Zev claps before waving goodbye to the dissolving creatures. "Those spiders were nice... you gonna make it, Ulfr?"
"Well done Ulfr!" Ryn says moving forward but making sure to leave him space to be attended and healed. "Once we get you patched up we'll see what they've left us."
Ada shakes her head, and moves up to heal the barbarian. She gently lays a hand on a place that isn't all that bloody and her hand glows with light. "You are worse that the gladiators I used to heal."
Now fully healed, Ulfr gives a deeply grateful nod to his doctors and ascends the stairs to claim his prize!
Ulfr is able to approach the altar without incident.
It needs blood. You need blood. You need to spill it. To bathe in it. To exult in the dying breaths of some creature.
Zev smiles as Ulfr takes the won shard, before he remembers something. ”Um, don’t those things mess with your head unless you put the little stone in it?”
Ufr takes a deep breath in. Holds it for a moment, then it Shudders out of him. Hmmm. The magic I felt before... it's so much Stronger here! He laughs a cruel cackle that tingles down your spine. This is not the philosopher of Rage you've known, trying for self-perfection through passionate abandon. Not right now, anyway.
"Yeah, we're gonna need that stone."
Ulfr's eyes snap to yours. Why? he asks through gritted teeth.