true. i was just thinking the ghost might be able to help us. Dote might be able to do necro-magic to control the ghost, so we should at least warn it to stay out of Dote's view.
The keystone and crystal lattice pulse faintly as Raun taps on the dome with her hammer. Below, the glowing figure appears to pause, as if about to glance up, then goes back to whatever it is doing within the dome.
Leaving the force field for the moment, you retrace your steps to the oval chamber to the south. On the pedestal in the north part of the room sits a heavy stone sarcophagus carved of yellow stone inlaid with translucent crystal. The likeness of a warrior is carved on the lid, the face worn into anonymity. The lead that sealed the lid in place appears brittle and flaking - you don't expect it will be much hindrance if you choose to open it.
Raun glances at the others as the being reacts to her tap, following them back out as they head to check out the sarcophagus. She gives that a poke too, bending down to peer at it and sniff it. "Want opened?" she asks, setting her hammer head on the floor, ready to heft the lid if the others agree.
<< Yes Open. But look for traps first. Get Gorkhan to look too. >> Grit says as he does so.
Gorkhan shrugs. <<Just keep an eye on that... fellow. He may not like us poking around his or his friend's resting place.>> He then examines the sarcophagus a bit closer, looking for any potential problems.
Inspecting the sarcophagus closely, you find no sign of traps - physical, magical or otherwise.
Nnn'tkklik'l appears deep in thought, heavily weighing the idea of trying to talk to the ghostly figure. He queries the Warden in that regard.
Grit will position himself correctly to try to push the lid partially off the sarcophagus. At least initially he wants to see what happens if he unseals the thing. Then he wants to open it enough to see inside. And depending on what he sees he may simply re-close it.
The huge tigone rares up and tries to grab the sarcophagus lid with his claws but fails to find purchase and has claws scrape across the surface of the stone.
Raun watches Grit's futile effort before giving it a shove of her own, sending it tumbling to the floor.
A series of sharp cracks echoes across the vast central chamber as Raun levers open the stone sarcophagus, bursting the lead seal and sending the carved lid crashing to the ground. Grave dust swirls for a moment then is sucked away by a subterranean breeze, revealing the eroded bones of a long-dead brother of the Knights Eternal.
Tatters of ancient silk lie in the sarcophagus like a fine web. Here and there you see the glitter of a crystal button or thin iron ring, but you hardly notice them as your eyes are drawn to the glowing emerald mounted on a silver circlet that wraps the corpse's bony brow.
As the dust settles, the chamber suddenly is illuminated in flickering silver light as crystal panes in the ceiling flicker to light. You hear scraping to the west - turning, you see the two crystal statues shake off the dust of ages as they move to attack. Meanwhile, the great doors to the south seem to shake in their hinges and you hear a grating cry. The words are unintelligible, but the anger they contain is clear.
Before most of you can act, the two statues leap forward, moving more swiftly and gracefully than you would expect. The closest one slashes at Woki, its bladed forearms carving deep into the halfling's flesh, while the second advances from the south, the inner facets of its crystal flesh seeming to twist and flash hypnotically.
Updated Map (let me know if too small)
Grit casts Resinous Skin and moves forward to protect Daina, telling her << Get behind me.>> The Tygone continues to protect Orryn.
Longstrider
Frostbite
Elemental Template
Haste
Temp HP= 0
Init +3; Senses low light vision, Scent; Perception +13
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Defense
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AC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +6 natural, +1 Deflect, -1 Size )
hp 69 (6d8+18)
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +9; +2 vs. Poison and Disease
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 Claws +15 (2d6+9) + Grab, +15 Bite (2d8+9) + Grab
Pounce, Rake for 2 Claws +15 (2d6+9)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 28, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 12
Base Atk +5; CMB +15; CMD 31
Elemental Template:
*Darkvision 60’
*Damage reduction 5/-. This increases to DR 10/- at 11th level.
*A 50 percent chance to ignore critical hits, bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning. The chance to ignore increases to 75 percent at 11th level.
*Immunity to fire, cold, electricity or acid (choose one when you change form).
*Once per use of wild shape, as a swift action, you can shroud your limbs in the energy type to which you are immune. For one round per level your natural attacks deal +1d6 points of damage of the chosen energy type.
Nnn'tkklik'l moves to the side (to the other side of Ral) and manifests his typical buffer on members of the party, first focusing on the members in the front line.
Raun lets out a roar as she feels Roki's pain through the link, launching herself at the giant guardian which had hurt him, throwing all of her will at the statue.
Gorkhan mentally facepalms as, when the sarcophagus opens, the expected happens. He then pulls his will together in an attempt to control one of the guardians through the Seeker.
Daina spits arcane syllables in rapid succession, flinging conjured webs at the closest statue, trapping it in place, before imbuing her comrades with supernatural speed.
Leaping past the retreating arcanist, Grit casts a spell that coats his fur in sticky resin, then braces for the statue's inevitable advance. Nnn'tkklik'l also repositions while cloaking his clutch mates in protective fields of force.
Calling on the presences within their bound reliquaries, Raun and Gorkhan both try to establish mental control over the murderous statues, but fail to even make contact.
Shifting focus to these new threats, the statue to the west ignores Woki for the moment and lashes out at Raun with one bladed limb and at Gorkhan with the other.
Easily breaking free of Daina's web, the statue to the south stomps up the stairs, its bladed arms slashing the ineffectual webbing as it advances within range of Grit.
To the south, the great doors shudder again as something slams heavily against them. You hear heavy footsteps echoing from the chamber to the north, as well.
plus bleed
plus bleed
Raun grits her teeth, continuing to wrestle with the enormous statue, but not able to physically stop it while trying to mentally stop it to. <<Make obey before more come!>> she yells at the champion.
Unsure of what magic is effective, and not wanting to make a mistake, Daina moves over to Gorkhan and casts vanish on him.
The 'kreen will attempt to halt the attacks of another of the golems via his connection with the ancient Warden.
Gorkhan vanishes from sight, already moving into position as Daina retreats again.
Using the thick handle of her hammer to hold back the western statue's scything limbs, Raun screams in its face, the armored visage of the Champion seeming to manifest around her own features. Wordlessly, the statue ceases its assault and begins moving back toward its pedestal.
Less dramatically, Nnn'tkklik'l focuses his own thoughts, concentrating on funneling the Warden's consciousness toward the southern statue. It, too, leaves off the attack and retreats. The thri-kreen is left with the impression that the automaton now accepts the group as members of the chapterhouse, although not as masters.
As the statues retreat, the pounding at the southern doors ends in a crash as one of the brass-bound portals crashes open. Two more of the statues step through, flanking a figure of human proportions. As the trio advances, you see that the smaller figure appears to be clad in armor of ancient construction, fashioned of bronze and either ivory or enameled metal. The full helm is of a similar style to the Champion's helmet Raun wears and it carries a hand-and-a-half steel sword that is the twin of the Seeker's blade. Blue light leaks from the joints of the armor - the hands that grip the sword seem to be made of pure energy.
"Are you tomb robbers, here to defile the last redoubt of the Brothers of the Seal? You will not succeed, for my service extends even beyond the bounds of mortal life," the figure says, its voice seemingly amplified so that it echoes from the walls of the vast chamber. "Flee, if you value life, or remain and witness the power of a master of the Argent Codex."
Daina breathes a sigh of relief as the others exert power over the golems. I hate constructs. However the situation gets worse a moment later when the new threat arrives, but the intelligent speech is a good sign. Daina speaks up, but stays in the back. "No, we are here on behalf of the Brothers in order to assist them! Somebody intends to release a great evil from these halls and we are here to prepare to stop him. We apologize for intruding, but we wanted to make sure that nothing could release the creature we heard take of. Please, we only wish to help."
"You wish to help, yet you seek to deceive me?" the armored figure says. Clearly still unfriendly, it slows its advance but continues moving forward, flanked by the statues. "You have told me two lies, already, and proved your ignorance of the Brotherhood. If there is any evil in these halls, you have brought it with you."
"If I have said something that is not true, then it was unintentional. Ignorant we may be, and if you can cure us of that ignorance we would be grateful. But we are only here to help. We do not think the evil is not here yet, but it is coming. We were intending to prepare for it."
"Champion, Seeker, Warden show us the way here. Dote'Mel'Payne comes for codex and blade. We hurried here to beat him. You must see, crystal in my head is Seeker, of your clutch."
Raun relaxes slowly as first one, and then the other statue turn from their attack. She had just turned towards the pounding when the doors finally give way there, She grimaces as two more of the statues enter, accompanying a third figure. She frowns at the talk, looking between the figure and then Daina, before taking up a neutral stance, the heavy head of her hammer resting on the ground as she once more tries to take on the countenance of the champion, to prove Daina and Nnn's claims.
With the entry of more golems and the strange individual, Gorkhan changes tack, moving to the ceiling, trying to stay out of sight for when the spell wore off.
<<Maybe it's time for you folks to chime in...,>> Gorkhan signals the three presences that were joined with him and his companions.
Grit steps back defensively in front of Daina and Orryn. <<mention the girl to him as well, and what has befallen her.>>
Compelled by Raun's will, the Champion materializes in a glowing form that seems almost solid, his armor closely resembling the ivory and bronze plates of the guardian.
<<Heed me, brother. While we never met in life, we shoulder the same burden beyond death, though we walk the land in different forms>> the Champion says, the words echoing through the collective and into the ruined hall. <<The ragged band you see before you is not bound by those vows, but they have taken up our cause in this desolate future.>>
<<An evil man - a deadheart and a defiler, schooled at the feet of one of the Warbringer's Champions - seeks to break the Seals that we have guarded. He has taken one of the sisters, a Willing Key, and bound her to his will. Now he seeks a blade like your own and a copy of the Codex so he can tear apart the Final Gate and release the Shadow that was Bound. These before you seek to stop him, but they need your aid.>>
The armor-clad figure seems to ponder the Champion's words, stopping the advance of the crystal statues with a gesture as it does so.
"Your words ring true," it says finally, before shaking its head. "But your folly is beyond comprehension. If this necromancer needs a copy of the Codex and an errant blade, why lead him here? This place was buried long ago, safely forgotten. I cannot let you take these things, when doing so would puts the keys to the Seal's destruction back into the world. Stay here and help defend them, if you like, but I will not betray my duty in the service of such foolishness."
In the collective, the kreen chirps. <<This sounds good to me. I can understand not wanting to give up powerful items to newcomers. Statues will be with our clutch too.>>
Daina gives a face of bemusement. "Yeah, that should be fine. That's all we seek to do is defend it from those who would use it for evil. Allow us to help you fulfill your own charge."
Grit sends his consent through the link that is more a grunt than a word then sends <<I suspect we will not have long to wait.>>
"Deadheart know this place from Seeker. Captured her, broke her mind and took her memories. We rescue her, help heal her." Raun speaks up as the powerful vision of the champion fades. "Only wanted to take blade so deadhearts have to face us, not take sword from cold empty tomb. We stay here, help you defend... they powerful... strong dead thing with them... magic..." she agrees as well.
After a moment's slow thought she speaks up again. "You know what creature in dome is? Can reason with it?" she asks, gesturing back the way they'd just come.
"Why not destroy the Codices and Blades, or separate them into component parts to be scattered? Then no one could use them for nefarious purpose... but yeah... if they have to remain intact, we can stay to help protect them from the necromancer."
To the extent that a faceless suit of armor can show emotion, the guardian appears offended by Gorkhan's suggestion.
"Destroy artifacts the like of which may never again be created on this dying orb? Tell me, since it is likely some future acquaintance will convince you to act as a fool, should you not fall on your sword now and spare your descendants the indignity? Bah ... Perhaps the world would be better off without the legacy of ages past. But I will not forsake my vows after these long centuries for fear of failing them."
The guardian falls silent for a long moment before turning to Raun.
"By book and blade, I do not know what creature it is that haunts the library. I slept for many years after the city was buried. When I work, I found the walls of light as you see them now and that form within. It could be one of my brothers, transformed or transcended rather than passing through the veil. But I have tried many times to attract its attention, and never has it acknowledged my presence."
Raun slowly parses the brother's ornate words. "Not know what crystal is that made wall of light?" she asks to confirm nevertheless. "Could try force way in... but if codex book not there..." Raun gives a slight shrug, not sure what the point would be. Though after a moment she asks. "Never? It stop moving when I touch dome with my hammer..."
Gorkhan cocks his head to the side. "Artifacts that none are apparently allowed to see or touch, given your arrival to defend them... Artifacts whose use seem only to bring about the end of the world... Unless they have some redeeming quality to them, which none of us have been informed about, then yeah... destroy them."
The bard then shrugs. "But since that doesn't seem to be the order for the day, we instead risk everything in hopes that our combined efforts can prevent the unthinkable. Go team."
The guardian ignores Gorkhan as it responds to Raun's question.
"The crystal lattice in the library originally generated a minor psychokinetic field, just powerful enough to repel dust and preserve the scrolls and codices within. I don't know what changed, or why, but the field is far more powerful now than intended. I haven't tried to disrupt it -- an extra level of protection around the Codex is a useful thing -- but I assume attacking the lattice would have some effect."