Azarra casts light on a pebble and tosses it through the doorway, trying to see inside.
After looking, she backs up and draws her bow, waiting for the Paladin to go first.
Ishta, once again, casts a protective spell on herself.
Meanwhile, she lets the tanky guys enter first.
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Zane looked about at the ruined sections of Phlan with dismay...how many people had lived in this city at its zenith. Ten thousand? More? Most of them died in the aftermath of the sacking, falling prey to the huge army of monsters that had systematically razed the city. It would take years of hard work to get all this cleaned up, but the priest was young and had time on his side.
His eyes narrowed as they looked upon what could only be the entrance to the Temple of Bane. He wished they had the key to get in at hand, as he would like nothing better than to send the followers of that most evil of gods fleeing. However, they had other business to attend to this day.
As they approached the relatively clean Kovel Mansion, Zane chuckled despite himself at the scene. They had literally left the front door open for them..."Good thinking, Azarra!" He exclaimed as she tossed the pebble into the dark entryway, casting light on the area directly on the interior.
Zane looked to the sky and spoke, "Morninglord! We go now to infiltrate a den of evil, to remove yet another obstacle to the good people of New Phlan that want nothing more than to give this once great city the rebirth it so needs! Provide your protection to this most noble of elves, so that he may brave the confines of this manor unmolested by the parasites that dwell within!" The young man placed his hand upon Ser Armithia's shoulder, a warm glow surrounding them both for a few moments before it dimmed then disappeared completely.
"Stay near me, Ser Armithia. Lathander has seen to bless you with insight into the movements and actions of the enemies." He left out the part where the cleric would share in the elf's pain should he actually be struck by one of the enemies.
"Like wild horses we come crashing in..." mumbles Kardas, who is visibly ill at ease. A neat pristine den of thieves that is all theirs for the plundering: what could go wrong?
The burly man then runs a hand over the back of his familiar, telling it to stay near him at all times. "We best get on with it, my companions."
Cautiously Zane watches as Azarra tosses a pebble infused with light inside... Peculiarly the pebble is answered by a disembodied light which shows a once grand foyer with grand marble columns yellowed by time, a cracked floor and debris at the far end where a peculiar statue one lay. Flanking it a pair of staircases spiral up into the gloom. Numerous stout doors lead off from the main room, at one time they might have been elegant but now the veneer is peeling just like the plaster on the ceiling. There was a fresco there once but it's too badly damaged now to tell what it once was.
As you take this in, a curious being zips from column to column, it's motion so fast it's a blur. In the moments it stands still, it resembles a short and slight elf wearing drab clothes with a wicked grin. In a terribly fast and high pitched voice it addresses you, "Runfromthisplacehideforitshallbethetomb! Otherwisetheywillneverforgivethetrespass!"
Not taking her eyes away from the strange creature, just in case, Ishta whispers some quick words (though not as quick as the elf's) to her companions. "Guys, something's not right. This room seems all a big illusion. Look at the carpet there" she says while pointing at it.
The knight of Helm gratefully accepts Zane's gift. He places a hand on the cleric's shoulder.
And may Helm guard you, my friend.
The gold elf also nods at the carpet.
There's something strange about the carpet just inside the door. It seems off somehow as if it's movement doesn't quite match that of your head when you turn...
Ser Armithia draws his bastard sword and readies his shield, as he hwars the voice. The knight steps forward in front of the group.
The paladin draws upon Helm's sight.
The priest also saw the strange motions of the carpet the Knight of Helm mentioned, though he remained silent, as Ishta and Ser Armithia had already pointed out the illusions he could also see. Pulling out his heavy mace, he falls in directly behind the gold elf, ready to provide assistance if needed as the curious little elven creature spoke to them.
I think this might be a statue of Mask although there is something weird about it.
Azarra pulls up Detect Magic, to see if that will help her see where the illusory images are coming from, or what is real.
Kardas frowns when Ishta speaks. "Let us not be pressed into a hurry, companions, for haste is their ally and our enemy in this place."
The strange creature, continues to zip about playfully, although it's words seem strangely mournful, "Yougonowyesyes? Muchsaferifyoudo!"
This whole place reeks of illusion. We can't trust anything we see. Should we go in this obvious way, or look for another way in?
Zane looked at the little creature and the elaborate illusion with apprehension, but ultimately shrugged. "If they're trying that hard to get us to go another way, maybe we should just go in this way. Unless you guys have a different opinion?" The priest felt he had been too authoritarian at times...this was an adventuring party, not a dictatorship...all of them had varied backgrounds and skills that could perhaps correlate into the best decision possible.
The knight strides forward to confront this evil.
Beware this place is false. There is evil deep inside!
Already the multi-threaded layers of supposed reality were beginning to get to Kardas. "Alright. This place isn't what it appears to be, so the next question might be dumb: where are we going?"
"It seems designed to dissimulate the real value. Mmh, one idea might be trying to interact with what appears to be worst quality." While she talks, she keeps her eyes on the strange creature.
Zane stepped forward with the paladin, holy symbol of his God held in his shield hand, mace in his other. The priest thought Ishta’s advice prudent, or at least it was as good an idea as any. He had heard of clerics of the Morninglord who could use their divine energies to tear down false images like this, but he wasn’t there yet. So he just kept his eyes sharp, wondering if the strange little being was friend or foe.
Azarra follows them in.
The quickling zipped around you, it's motion like a blur, "Nonononthisisnogood. Icantbeartowatchtheyllslaugtheryoubyenow." before it suddenly departed!
"Alright, lots of things to check. Where shall we begin, guys?"
Ser Armithia stands within 10' of the statue.
Evil radiates from this.
"Perhaps it is a 'blessed' remnant, if you will, of whatever temple this once used to be. Does Mask have temples? I don't know, but I'll shut up now because I'm rambling."
Maybe you should smash it then?
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Zane responded to Kardas in a hushed tone. "All deities have a place of worship of some sort. Some are more formal than others...I doubt Mask, by his nature, has temples for the most part.
The priest approached the statue close by Ser Armithia, glancing back at Azarra as she asked her question. "It might bring out our enemies, for certain...and if it is evil, I would gladly destroy it. But it might also be a trap designed for just such a thing. Let us avoid it, for now, I suggest."
His green eyes flitted about, finally settling on the right doors (E). "Shall we just start methodically searching the place? Any other ideas? Or are we smashing the statue?"
The gold elf nods at Zane.
I shall follow your led in this; just know that it does radiate evil.
Zane started to head towards the Northern double doors he had indicated, along with Ser Armithia and the others, when he barely heard the faint protest of a floorboard at the Southern staircase. He whispered to his companions, [smaller]"Movement on the stairs to the south...shall we investigate?"
Assuming no one protests this action overly much, Zane will accompany the rest of them to see what might be causing the ruckus on the stairs.
Ishta takes a scroll from one of her cases and reads an incantation. Then walks towards the staircase. "I've heard something here..."
The paladin moves toward the sound, sweeping all for evil.
After Zane spoke, you distinctly heard the sound of footsteps hurrying up the stairs...
Up the stairs goes the gold elf.
Azarra whispers to the party
There was also a female whisper behind the double doors the way we were going before.
She draws her bow so as to be ready for anything.
Kardas is warned by the somewhat erratic movements of his companions. "Whatever we do, stick together" he says in what is almost a whisper. Logic would dictate to clear out this floor before moving up, but should one really apply logic to the unholy residence of worshippers of Mask?
Nothing happens as Ishta walks forwards, although she has the distinct feeling of being watched by unfriendly eyes.
Ser Armithia goes upstairs.
Zane nodded to Azarra, but seeing as how Ishta and Ser Armithia were already headed to the stairs, the priest shrugged and beckoned the half-elf to follow as he attempted to stay close to the gold elf so as not to break the connection they now had.
His green eyes darted about, looking for their hidden enemies, wondering what surprises might be in store for the group.
As Ser Armithia leads the party up the ancient looking and creaky staircase, he suddenly notices movement out of the corner of his eye. He saw a crossbow pointing out of a murder hole above and to the south, just in time he was able to bring up his shield for twang-THWACK, a quarrel dripping with something fowl smelling embedded itself into his shield. A flap drops over the murder hole and you hear the sound of retreating feet.
<--- NOT FLATFOOTED
<--- MISS
The landing is seemingly covered in trash, with water damaged paintings hanging on the walls by a thread at strange angles. The doors have seen better days with paint stripping off them, rusting hinges and handles. There is a general air of decay and neglect about the place.
The paladin braces his shield over the murder hole.
We may have hostiles up here. Anyone do something about this door? Discretion is out!
Zane’s eyes widened as the gold elf raised his shield just in time to catch the bolt shot through the murder hole. The mood was so tense he didn’t even offer a quip at Ser Armithia’s comment, instead just raising his mace. ”Let’s beat it down and show them what happens when their shadows are taken away.”
The priest’s mood is dark. While he had despised the agents of Bane they had dispatched on Sohkol Island, at least they had been brave enough to announce their presence. These murderous thieves were skulks and cowards who were preying upon the good people working to resettle the area, and needed to be put down.
"Oh, my!" Ishta is surprised by the arrow and relieved to see that Ser Armithia blocked it with no further effect.
They need to move away from that place real quick.
Zane's mace splinters the surface of the door but it stands firm for now.
[Spoiler=Perception DC 21]You hear a soft footfall from the stairs behind you!