After enjoying the morning meal and making introductions, you all pack up and set out for the Spire, easily catching sight of it in the afternoon and retracing the steps walked by Charis and Zora as you descend past the first three levels that they had hands in clearing of hostile resistance.
Descending the last flight of stairs, you all pause as an acrid, nauseating reek fills the air at the bottom of the stairs — a musky, reptilian stench.
The stairs descend to a small chamber of smooth, hewn stone lit by a dim greenish light from two strange, torchlike devices on the walls. The walls and ceiling are decorated with drawings and writings in bright colors. The depictions are abstract but somehow alien and disturbing.
A lone metal door with a simple latch mechanism glows with a dim green light in the middle of the north wall.
Standing before this door is a reptilian "man" (for lack of a better word), wearing a colorful leather garment and leaning against an old walking stick.
He smiles broadly.
"Yes, hello! Hello! We welcomes you to Godhome! Welcome! Welcome!"
He gestures to the door behind him.
"You wish to sacrifice now? Or... visit? Or... take holy grub may-bees?"
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Giovanni's nose wrinkles as he descends the stairs, immediately recognising the stench of Troglodyte.
His disgust evaporates, however, when he sees the unusual décor of the room.
How unusual! This very definitely not typically for a troglodyte den...
Giovanni listens politely to the Troglodyte's introduction, before smiling brightly, and asking:
"What sort of sacrifice, exactly, did you have in mind...?"
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"...Sadly, that power faded away as we left the sanctum. Still, it was quite a journey to the desert. Maybe I'll return and see how Grandmaster Torch plans to deal with an irate dragon." She laughs as she recounts her adventures outside of the spire.
The Maiden's nose wrinkles as she smells the air, but a controlled exhale helps acclimate herself to the fumes.
The Maiden stows her bow away when she realizes the Troglodyte is friendly. Unusually friendly. But much nicer than the alternative. I'll let Zora and Bonaventure here converse.
The Maiden takes a look around, to make sure she didn't walk into a trap.
The troglodyte's head turns slightly as he listens to Bon speak. His reply is in Common as he catches that perhaps not all four adventurers before him speak it.
"Oh yes! Slaagh understands this wordspeak, too! Slaagh is well teachered and can speak both very well!"
Seeing Giovanni's smile, Slaaugh beams as an inquiry is put forth about the sacrifice.
"Ohh! Give the god some iron-metal, and it will bless you! All good visitors make gifts of iron-metal to the great and powerful god!"
Slaagh punctuates his comments with many grand gestures implying a giving of something to something taller than him.
"Is that why pinkskins have come? To make great sacrifice? The god would be so pleased!"
"Oh yes, of course, yes of course!"
Slaagh bows low and appears genuinely apologetic.
"A thousand apologies to pilgrims who only wish to be students of Skraa-orm Thagh! Traveled to right place, you have! You will see, yes, you will see.. the god in the box is very powerful! Very!"
Clapping in excitement, Slaagh gestures to Zora's blades and Giovanni's armor.
"Make a great offering you shall, you have brought much iron-metal to feed Skraa-orm Thagh! With your sacrifice, Slaagh's peoples will be much fed and cared for!"
Slaagh claps his hands together as the Maiden flashes her shuriken as an offering.
"Oh yes! Skraa-orm Thagh pleased with all and any metals! The larger and the more plentiful the better!"
Bowing, he backs away through the door, beckoning.
"Please, please... follow, I will take nice new friends to make sacrifice, show rewards provided by great Skraa-orm Thagh on way!"
Beyond the door, you glimpse two long hallways, each bearing entrances to several other rooms or halls. Slaagh takes you directly to the closest room before gesturing into it.
This room contains a large stone vat in the middle of the eastern wall. It seems to be filled with a pasty, pink substance. Just north of the tub, a tall door made of lustrous, coppery metal leads east, and passages exit the chamber to the north and south. Three torchlike devices in the wall glow with a soft green light, as does the metal door.
Two other troglodytes here are slurping up the pasty pink substance, it dribbling down their faces onto the floor.
"Skraa-orm Thagh powerful! Makes tasty-tasties here for all! Can eat here now or later if hungry after making sacrifices! Sacrificing iron-metal is hungry work!"
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Bonaventure takes all of this in. "Slaagh, may I cast a magic spell to examine the area?"
If Slaagh gives his approval, Bonaventure casts detect magic and examines the glowing door, the glowing torches, and the food vat.
The stone vat filled with the pinkish "food" does indeed seem to radiate some sort of lingering conjuration aura.
The devices in the wall sconces produce greenish light via some means that is not magic.
proximity to the source of the magnetic field.
Without much else being asked, Slaagh beckons you to continue the "tour" and leads you further down the hall.
There’s little light in this group of narrow corridors and alcoves.
In the first area you pass, bits of bone, discarded tools, crude weapons, and improvised satchels made from scraps lie here and there. The concentrated troglodyte stench is tremendous—this is obviously the creatures’ lair.
Slaagh stops to wave at the trio of trogs in this chamber.
"Heyas Savisk! Lookie what Slaagh finds! New friends to make sacrifice!"
Amidst the trio, the trog in the center, potentially female looks to open her mouth in response, but Slaagh has already coaxed you further down the hall towards the greenish light of the Emerald Spite. A green glimmer cuts through the darkness, coming from a curving wall of smooth green glass embedded in the hallway, marked with a complex arcane symbol about the size of an outstretched hand.
Slaagh continues to gesture towards the warrens, which smell hideous .
"Yes, many many of Slaagh's people sleep in those rooms when not praying to the Godbox!"
Nearing the end of this hall, Slaagh gestures one direction first.
"That way with pleasant smell is where trogs make business"
The scent indicates that's the direction of the trog's latrine.
"Here! This room is where might Skraa-orm Thagh makes water for drinking!"
A stone tub filled with water stands against this chamber’s western wall. Three glowing light-sticks illuminate the room. A door of copper-colored metal stands in the western wall, and passages exit the room to the north and south.
Three more trogs kneel here, slurping up water from the tub.
The metal "glow rod" doesn't produce much heat either, just a barely noticeable amount.
Slaagh shrugs at the inquiry.
"Skraa-orm Thagh gifts Slaagh's people with lights, they use his power to glow bright, bright, bright!"
When questioned about descending to the next level.
"Slaagh shows way after you give gifts of iron-metal to Skraa-orm Thagh, yes? Soon is time to give gifts... Slaagh wishes to show power of Skraa-orm Thagh first, so would be inspired to give many gifts of iron-metal!"
Slaagh shrugs.
"Other pinkskins come. Some from above -- called Splinters? Some go below. All must make the sacrifice of the iron-metal!"
Leading you past the room with the water-filled tub, Slaagh takes you to room at an intersection that turns to your left.
This room is illuminated by two light-sticks mounted in wall sconces. Here, a large door of strange copper alloy glows much like the light-sticks. The walls and ceiling are covered with indecipherable troglodyte scrawling and paintings. In the northeast corner stands a tall cylindrical bell, made from the same alloy as the door.
"The way down you seek is beyond this door! If Skraa-orm Thagh is pleased by your sacrifice, the door will open by His will!"
You all observe as other trogs go about their business, apparently moving in and out of additional warrens on this side of the level.
Slaagh's eyes widen in surprise.
"Whaa? You wish to bring more to sacrifice? Do you wish to behold the glory of Skraa-orm Thagh first? Perhaps seeing will mean more bringings back of ironmetal for sacrifice!"
Slaagh claps his hands together.
"Yes, yes! It's time!"
Leading you down the hall, he opens the door to the central chamber.
A hexagonal, metallic structure about ten feet wide and almost twenty-five feet tall looms in the center of this high-ceilinged room, emanating a greenish-white light. All kinds of gears and armaments are stuck to its silvery sides, including dozens of weapons, shields, and pieces of armor, as well as lanterns, buckles, and tools. To the north and south of the object stand two large stone statues, each depicting a troglodyte with its arms upraised in adulation. Four copper-colored metal doors lead out of this chamber, one from each corner of the room.
You notice a strange force tugging at your metal armor and weapons, pulling you toward the device in the center of the room.
You also notice that in the center of each face of the hexagonal object is a vertical slot about three inches wide and close to seven feet tall.
Slaagh bows low and get very quiet, whispering to you all.
"Bow before the power of Skraa-orm thagh..."
Slaagh gestures towards Bon, showing he is agreeable if Bon inspects the Godbox while Giovanni gets to work making his sacrifice.
Feeling a strong pull on his armor, he wisely stays far back .
His iron pot flies straight up and adheres to the box with a thuuunng.
Next his pitons fly up one at a time, thunk thunk thunk thunk, each hitting the "God".
You all observe they are joining at least a hundred other items stuck to the box - axes, daggers, greatswords, maces, hammers, a suit of chainmail, half-plate, splint armor, shields, crowbars, holy symbols, mirrors, pitons, lanterns, belt buckles and more.
Bon ascertains many of the items are magical - a greatsword, a suit of chain mail, a heavy steel shield, a light steel shield, a brooch dangling from a leather pouch.
As the eight piton clunks into the massive box, an eerie hum begins from deep within the box. Slaagh's eyes widen in excitement.
A moment later, two distant metallic clicks sound from down the hall.
Slaagh claps.
"Oh! Skraa-orm thagh is pleased! He enjoys the sacrifice of ironmetal much! So gracious He is!"
Bowing low, Slaagh retreats from the room, gesturing down the hall.
"The way is open, you have pleased him!"
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Bonaventure steeples his fingers. "There are many magical items stuck to the Godbox. I am sure the Pathfinder Society would want us to investigate this mystery..."
He turns to Slaagh, "May we examine the Godbox... closer?"
[dice=Diplomacy (sickened)]1d20 + 11 - 2[/dice]
If given permission Bonaventure leaves any metal objects outside the room and moves up to closely inspect the Godbox and gestures Zora forward. "Zora, come here. This is... fascinating. But leave your metal behind, ja?"
Taking a closer look, beyond the magic weapons and armor affixed to the surface , he takes a closer look at the "slots" on each face. - each is a vertical slot about three inches wide and close to seven feet tall. It almost seem they were meant to hold something, some sort of insert.
Meanwhile, Giovanni and the Maiden each approach the door and hall leading to the stairs down to the fifth level.
Slaagh shrugs, clearly unaware of how the slots operate.
"Not sure, no sacrifices go in those, always claimed by Skraa-orm thagh other places."
The slots are 3 inches wide, 7 feet deep and about 3 feet long. It does occur to you if something were to fit into the slot and it were metal, it would need to be something ferromagnetic - something that wouldn't immediately get stuck to the "Godbox" in some other way.
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Bonaventure thinks for a moment, steepling his fingers.
"Ja! I remember that some of the doors were copper! Slaagh, maybe the doors are part of the Godbox? Would your people like to... reunite them?"
[dice=Diplomacy (sickened)]1d20 + 11 - 2[/dice]