Appario waits for the others to move through first, bravely guarding the back. He will jump after Derek and Xerath.
Jumping through the firewall, Yahirma finds herself in a 20-ft-wide cathedral-like space. A brilliantly glowing, fifty-foot-long and 10-ft-wide pool of molten gold bubbles in the floor, while the walls rise high on either side to a vaulted ceiling thick with carvings of leering devils. On the far side of the chamber, a towering pair of glowing stained-glass windows depict a huge devil with a hideous scar across his midsection standing before a bloodstained altar. Along the walls, towering arched mirrors reflect eight different hellscapes, each more dismal and harrowing than the last.
***
Nobody suffers any ill effects from passing through the fire.
Xerath follows Maddok through the wall into the next room. "As tempting as it may be, I would not touch that. It's molten lava, not gold."
"That it is. What a cruel trap it would be for the greedy—even the wealth-inclined." She leans her head toward Appario to ensure that she can't hear the tell-tale sound of coins being counted in his head. "If anything, the artwork seems to be getting even more depressing the deeper we travel."
She takes a look around the room and pulls out a reference book to see if this gallery's subject matter matches that of the previous room.
The glow of the golden pools fills the big shoanti's eyes. Against his will, he finds himself shambling towards the nearest one.
"Maddok? It's lava. Maddok?" Yahirma chides as the Shoanti steps forward.
Ah well, perhaps he's just trying to get a closer look.
Waaaait…no, he's actually trying to touch it.
"Maddok? Remember, lava—or is it magma?—is hot. Even molten gold is hot. I know that you just jumped through a sheet of flame unscathed, but I hardly think that now is the time to go for a swim. Maddok?"
Oblivious of Yahirma's warnings, Maddok scoops up the molten gold in his hands.
While you study this third mirror, the pit fiend's reflection seems to discover your presence. In an instant, its face fills the mirror, unleashing a blast of despair into your mind, while you also experience a sudden flash of greed. Worse, you suffer Wisdom damage.
As Yahirma studies the mirrors, one suddenly vanishes into the ground, revealing a small alcove behind it. A bag of some sort lies within the alcove.
Will Save
Appario takes two, no, three steps toward the molten 'gold' before he picks up on the rouse, his gait slowing. He takes two more steps just to get closer to look to see if he was double wrong, but no, no he was not.
This place is like Hell. Weird.
Appario looks around for any real gold that happens to be laying around.
"Maddok, don't go too close there...it's not real gold."
The molten gold slowly runs between Maddok's fingers. Even though it's warm to the touch, there's no ill effect.
The molten gold slowly runs between Maddok's fingers. Even though it's warm to the touch, there's no ill effect.
"See, Maddok? I told you...it's not real gold. If it were real gold, you'd feel happy right now. As if your life were more complete. You'd have a feeling of self worth," Appario notes. "You'd also come to understand that those without gold are takers, who are suckling at the teat of the makers."
Coming back to his senses, Maddok shakes his head and wrings the molten gold from his mitts. "What is this place?"
Yahirma reels back from the third picture, assaulted on one side by visions of Erebus and on the other by Appario's coin-happy philosophies. "It's time for some good news and some bad news. The good news," she ekes out with a wince, "is that I found something behind this picture.
"The bad news is that doing so involved being attacked by a fiend in the painting, which in retrospect was one of the more terrifying split-seconds in my life. This one was tied to Erebus, which is the domain of…Mammon, the archdevil of greed. In a roomful of fake gold." She unties the staff of healing and begins concentrating on its magic. "I'm certainly hoping that I just found the 'right' one."
As Yahirma studies the mirrors, one suddenly vanishes into the ground, revealing a small alcove behind it. A bag of some sort lies within the alcove.
"Could you...could you specify what it was you found that made it GOOD news?"
"Could you...could you specify what it was you found that made it GOOD news?"
"A bag, by all appearances." Yahirma casts detect magic taking care to watch for auras on the other paintings in addition to her examination of the bag.
"Be careful, seeing as how things have been so far, the bag may not contain anything good..."
Just in case, Derek checks the straps on his buckler and weighs Dawnhunter in his hand, ready for trouble.
***
Yahirma indeed detects magic on the bag, and all the mirrors appear to be magical in nature.
"All of the pictures and the bag are magical. Maybe I just found the one that corresponds to me?" She concentrates on the bag to identify it.
Yahirma identifies the bag as a bag of holding type IV.
Still expecting trouble, Maddok clutches his hammer and watches Yahirma closely. "What is inside?"
Yahirma opens up the bag, hoping to be pleasantly surprised rather than be grabbed by extradimensional feeding appendages and dragged into a demiplane of eternal suffering and digestion.
Appario watches Yahirma grab for the bag with a bit of jealousy.
Hey! That's my job! I'm the purse guy!
Appario, however, in a moment of decency, keeps his mouth shut. Instead he focuses on changing the appearance on his armor to the less-shiny black matte finish that was less ostentatious when exploring.
When he finishes with that, he will check out the remaining mirrors.
Will Save
Peception
Yahirma finds the bag filled with a vast amount of silver, gold, and platinum coins, all of which are branded with a stylized devil's face.
***
Hey! That's my job! I'm the purse guy!
Studying the reflected hellscapes one by one, you realize that in each one you can see yourself being tormented by a towering pit fiend with a horrible scarred belly, with each mirror's torture-scene happening in a different landscape. In the first mirror you find yourself in an apocalyptic metal wasteland, then in a sprawling iron city recognizable from the previous chamber. Continuing on, you find yourself being tortured in a ragged realm amidst endless slavery, then in a reeking poisonous swampland, then in what seems to be the training ground for Hell's legions. The scene moves to a frozen world of razor-sharp ice, before the final mirror shows this torture in a prison realm filled with chains and spires.
Despite looking intently at each of the remaining mirrors, none of them lower like the one with the bag. Yet, you find signs suggesting there are in fact similar alcoves behind these seven mirrors as well.
While passing by, you also realize that the huge stained-glass windows at the end of the hall are in fact cleverly-designed double doors.
Spoiler:Studying the reflected hellscapes one by one, you realize that in each one you can see yourself being tormented by a towering pit fiend with a horrible scarred belly, with each mirror's torture-scene happening in a different landscape. In the first mirror you find yourself in an apocalyptic metal wasteland, then in a sprawling iron city recognizable from the previous chamber. Continuing on, you find yourself being tortured in a ragged realm amidst endless slavery, then in a reeking poisonous swampland, then in what seems to be the training ground for Hell's legions. The scene moves to a frozen world of razor-sharp ice, before the final mirror shows this torture in a prison realm filled with chains and spires.
Appario's face twists and contorts unhappily as he examines the hellscapes. He points to one in particular.
"See here? Where the devils burn my feet with coal while others gouge out my eyes...does it seem to you that my purse is empty? EMPTY? And here...?" Appario points to another hellscape. "Here, where the big devil claws out my liver with a burning hand? My clothes...they are common...you can see the threads! I am dressed as a commoner! This is horrid."
"I dare say, madness of despair seems to be rather intoxicating," remarks Yahirma as she runs her hands through the coins. "Maybe we're just trying too hard not to be scared. Maybe the idea is to admit your fears. Maybe each of us needs to face his fears before finding something of value?"
"That sounds ludicrous." Xerath mutters while shaking his head.
"Well, we already know that this place was constructed, or at least run by a man who clearly showed his sadistic side quite often and eagerly...
I wonder...do you think this ties in to how we met Livia? You remember your offer to cure us of our insanities?"
Livia takes a break from bathing in the lava-pool to answer Derek. "Yes! Haha! It worked, didn't it? You're all cured now!" Growing serious, she then attempts to answer his actual question. "Maybe, but.. I mean.. This was built several decades before my master became Mayor. Of course, he modified the Knot, so he could have modified this place, too, I suppose.." She doesn't seem confident at all in her ability to shed light on this particular subject.
Taking his eyes from his own poor misery within the images, Appario moves down the way to examine the stained-glass windows.
"I think I saw a pair of doors over here..." Appario states as he checks out the door for traps (and checks if it's locked).
Perception (+1 more for traps)
Derek runs two fingers over his goatee as he considers Livias words.
"Yes...that is pretty much what I thought as well.
Still, Yahirmas instincts have been remarkably accurate to date, so I am willing to believe she has a point in this as well."
"The question is, how insidious can it be? I would imagine that both me and my big brother here would find the concept of losing the love of our lives very badly, but big brother has already overcome that challenge once..."
Appario doesn't notice any traps, and the stained-glass-window-doors aren't locked.
Unnerved by what he's hearing and by the droplets of molten gold still clinging to his fingers, Maddok clears his throat.
"You said you saw doors Appario?"
When people are done with the images, Appario will open the doors.
"I was poor in those, Derek! Poor!" Appario continues to bemoan what he saw.
Xerath will check out the mirrors as well if just put this nonsense to rest.
Studying the reflected hellscapes one by one, you realize that in each one you can see yourself being tormented by a towering pit fiend with a horrible scarred belly, with each mirror's torture-scene happening in a different landscape. In the first mirror you find yourself in an apocalyptic metal wasteland, then in a sprawling iron city recognizable from the previous chamber.
While you study the third mirror , initially showing you being tortured in a ragged realm amidst endless slavery, the pit fiend suddenly seems to notice your presence. In an instant, its face fills the mirror, unleashing a blast of despair into your mind, while you also experience a sudden flash of oppression. Worse, you suffer Intelligence damage.
***
During Xerath's study of the mirrors, another suddenly vanishes into the ground, revealing a small alcove behind it as well. On the ground within the alcove lies an iron ring etched with Terran runes.
You realize that this ring is a guardian ring; a nonmagical, but unique ring recognized by a specific stone guardian. Such a ring allows the wearer of the ring and all within 10 ft of the wearer to pass the ring's attuned guardian unharmed.
When people are done with the images, Appario will open the doors.
Appario takes his hand away from his near-opening of the doors, turning around.
"I did mention that I saw alcoves behind the mirrors, but failed to get at them, right? Does someone know how to? There was a big bag of fun behind one of them...who knows what else might be there."
Appario awaits the results of Xerath's efforts.
Xerath grabs his head in pain. "Gah. It hurts. But I was able to get a glimpse of him. But somehow he saw me too. I don't understand." Xerath keeps rubbing his temples to help with the pain.
"Who?" Maddok asks in confusion.
"The Pit Fiend.. Liebdaga." He says looking at the Shoanti.
"Did he speak to you? How do you know it was him?"
"Do you know of any other Pit Fiends? Who else would it be? He just stared into me."
***
With everybody else seemingly ignoring it, Livia takes it upon herself to fly into the newly-revealed alcove and pick up the iron ring. She turns it around in her tiny hands for a while, then returns to the others, dumping it into Derek's hands. "I don't know what this is. I feel like I should, but it's not even magical! And it's too large for my fingers!"
Noticing on her way that the mirrors seem to be reflecting areas of her native Hell, she then flies over to the first one, studying it intently. "This is Avernus! The first layer, where I was born! The pit fiend! It's torturing me!" She shies away from the mirror, shaken up by the imagery.
"It plucked my wings off! First one and then the other!" Despite her trepidation, she soldiers on, desiring more glimpses of her former home. "Dis. Its bazaars are truly a wondrous sight!" Passing the two already-revealed alcoves, she makes her way to the fifth mirror.
"Isch! I can almost smell the horrible stench of Stygia through this mirror! It's.." Her voice suddenly cuts off, as she's wracked by a terrible coughing fit, causing her to double over in pain.
As if accompanying her incessant coughing, the mirror lowers, revealing a staff of some kind within its alcove.
"Are you alright? Why would there be mirrors to these planes of existence? For what purpose exactly?"
Livia continues coughing, seemingly without end. Amid this coughing, she's unable to get out much in the way of intelligible words.