Like Sal, Kaede jumps forward in defense, and slows her assault when there's no reaction.
"I... I don't know, Salomae," she says after a moment of confused ogling, "But this man is obviously very important, considering the many statues of him that we've seen. Who is he?"
"I don't know, but it looks like some illusion spell that's repeating the same actions over and over again," Tera says while looking at the image and doing her best to pick apart the strings of magic that make it up in her head.
"Whatever the spell is, it's beyond my skill."
Tera gives Sal a huge shrug and a nonplussed expression.
"Ain't anything I've heard."
"Nor I" offers Kaelaah. This place feels long dead to the shoanti... is this simply an echo from the past?
Oliver's heart thumps wildly for a brief moment as the door opens, revealing the ghostly figure before he realizes it doesn't seem to be threatening.
Hoping none of the heroes noticed his jittery nerves, he quips..."Perhaps it is merely a vain attempt to scare away trespassers?"
...An echo from the past?
Oliver walks forward and waves his hand through the phantom image.
"Oops, I kinda forgot Sister Amet'Ra was here," Tera mutters under her breath as she turns away in an attempt to hide her flush of embarrassment.
Sister Amet'Ra moves to the front of the group when her opinion is requested. After observing the illusory image for a moment she answers, "I believe that if it was meant to scare people he'd probably seem more aggressive... he looks like he's giving some kind of instructions... perhaps he's some kind of revered teacher or leader and the illusion preserved some core rules or doctrine he created? I mean, that's just a guess..."
"If that's the case... How old is this place? Noone's been down here in a long time and none of us know who this man is," Kaede adds another question. "Is this as old as the ruins we found under Sandpoint, and if so, why are these places here?"
"Magnimar's built around the Irespan, and an uncle of mine told be about some of the ruins in Korvosa," Tera as she begins to thoroughly search the room. "I don't have a clue how old this place is, but it's gotta be really old since the floor's kinda canted funny down here."
Tera’s search does not reveal anything else of interest.
Seeing nothing more here, Tera moves to the eastern door and opens it after giving the others a chance to get ready.
With seemingly nothing to be gleaned from the projected image, Kaelaah stands aside Sister Flinders whilst she prepares to open the next door...
In response to the conversation about ancient civilizations, Sister Amet'Ra offers, "Osirion, where I began my life, has existed in one form or another for nearly ten-thousand years. And, I've heard that there are hints in their ancient records of even older civilizations... I won't venture a guess how old any of these runes are, but it is possible that they might be older than any of us had guessed. Brodert, the sage in town, has studied the Old Light and some other old sites... when we get back you could ask him if he knows anything."
Moving on from the northern chamber with it's illusion, Tera heads back to where the halls diverge and opens the eastern door. Beyond it is a small landing from which a short shallow staircase leads up to a ten foot deep, twenty foot wide room which contains three low tables. The table-tops are covered with a strange and chilling selection of tools, saws, long-bladed knives, and objects whose purpose is not readily apparent. A strange collection of bones lies near the southern table- too many to be one skeleton, but too few to be two.
"Is is some kind of butcher's table?" Marcus wonders out loud, before noticing the seven-pointed star. Pointing it out to the others, he asks "Is it some sort of religious symbol?"
"I don't think so. It looks like some arcane torture device," Tera says with a shudder. Despite her revulsion she does see that the tools are finely crafted, "and whoever built this place loves their torture equipment. That set of tools there is worth a hundred crowns."
Feeling a little ill, Tera quickly checks the room for any hidden crannies.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure what it was for. I can't really remember. It was a few years ago and I didn't get to do more than skim the book," Tera answers.
I am getting a bad feeling about this place...I fear if we are not careful, we might end up sharing the same fate as these two." Oliver says as he motions toward the skeletons with a nod.
He then walks over toward the skeletons for a closer look...
Against all better reason, Zache picks up the star and begins looking it over, trying to ascertain its purpose.
Despite the continued exploration and examination within the chamber, the marked do not uncover any new secrets nor additional insights...
With nothing else to find in this chamber, Tera heads to the last set of doors. She waits for the others to get ready behind her before opening them and looking inside.
"Unless there are further ruins past here, I think this is it, isn't it?"Kaede quietly says as she comes up behind Tera, hand on the blade of her glaive.
The short southern hallway ends at an imposing set of stone doors, behind which lays the only area of the ruins yet to be explored. The doors appear to be locked, but bear no handles. An indented outline of a seven-pointed star, its shape covered by hollows and slits, graces the spot where handles should be...
Tera looks at the door, a you've-gotta-be-kidding-me expression on her face. She hangs her head after a moment and sighs.
"Zache, you know that arcane torture device you found? I'm thinking that it goes to this door."
Kaelaah looks at the outline, its seven individual points so distinctive, and nods towards Brother Kovachi...
...and the flames licking up his arms, emitting a soft amber glow, intensify in anticipation.
Zache chuckles, hefting the strange device and shaking his head. "As is narratively suitable, the heroes find that the simplest solution is the correct one," he muses, gripping the object by the handle and placing it in the door.
The strange star may not have been enchanted but the doors certainly were... as Zache presses the bizarre key into the indentation on the doors, a shimmering azure aurora ripples across their surface and then quickly fades. With a huff that reminds Marcus of a diver coming up for air, the heavy stone doors part and quietly swing open on their own.
The chamber beyond is thirty feet wide and twenty-five feet deep with floors and walls of polished stone. Dozens of small niches line the walls, each housing a single warmly glowing golden candle. Most of the light in the room, however, radiates from a long, low fire rising from a shallow trench that nearly cuts the room in half. There is no visible fuel for the flames but they give off a stink of burning hair.
Set into the far wall is ten foot wide alcove in which a large but simple stone throne sits upon a low dais. To either side of the alcove, twisted wolflike creatures with faces that almost appear goblinoid and long fingery claws rise onto all fours and lock eyes on the adventurers. The throne is occupied by a man with flawless alabaster skin and raven-black hair. His face is so beautiful that even his glowing red eyes and the horns that sweep back from his forehead seem somehow appealing. A lewd scene swings into view as he stands, revealing his nakedness. A lascivious grin spreads across his face as his large leathery wings slowly close around his body like a cloak. "What a pleasant surprise," he announces, "not one but four lovely women! Personally, I wouldn't have invited so many men but after all these years I'm open to anything... You have done well to free me, and the power I promised you will be yours. The wards that have imprisoned me were dampening my telepathic powers, which of you was it whose hunger I heard echoing through the void, who was it who heard my voice in the darkness?"
Marcus is completely taken aback by the whole scene before them. Having no interest in entering the room, he steps next to Kaede. Lightly touching her sleeve, he draws upon the magic within him to connect the 2 of them.
"Be careful in there." He whispers, almost hiding behind her glaive arm.
Marcus casts Shield other on Kaede.
Shield other-
This spell wards the subject and creates a mystic connection between you and the subject so that some of its wounds are transferred to you. The subject gains a +1 deflection bonus to AC and a +1 resistance bonus on saves. Additionally, the subject takes only half damage from all wounds and attacks (including those dealt by special abilities) that deal hit point damage. The amount of damage not taken by the warded creature is taken by you. Forms of harm that do not involve hit points, such as charm effects, temporary ability damage, level draining, and death effects, are not affected. If the subject suffers a reduction of hit points from a lowered Constitution score, the reduction is not split with you because it is not hit point damage. When the spell ends, subsequent damage is no longer divided between the subject and you, but damage already split is not reassigned to the subject.
If you and the subject of the spell move out of range of each other, the spell ends.
Orin is disgusted by the display, but recovers quickly. Trying to give the others a moment to formulate a plan, he boldly advances into the room. Sword and shield raised, he does his best to get the attention of the occupants of the room.
"No one heard your voice in the darkness, beast. No one cares to listen and after today, no one will ever hear your vile voice again. We have come to cleanse this place of filth and you are that filth." He growls, trying to sound confident.
"Your depravity has come to bear. Make peace with whatever mockery of a god you worship, for these moments are your last."
To say that Tera blushed furiously at the sight of the nude man would be like saying that the ocean was a little wet. She turns away, her mind filled with lurid fantasies and questions about what those things are. While she almost instantly recognizes the goblinoid-headed wolf creatures, she's far too flustered to know who or what the beautiful, naked man is. Her face only heats more and she tries vainly to hide it by covering it with her hands.
"The things to the side are barghests, they are can resist weapons that aren't magic," Tera says through her hands, "The can also charm and demoralize their foes. The thing in the center is in dire need of some pants."
Tera looks up as she hears Orin, then Sal walk in and quickly runs through her options and decides that there's nothing for it. Between Sal and Orin, they were almost certainly going to be in a fight.
Still, she might be able to distract the monsters long enough for Kaede, Zache, and Sister Amet'Ra to cast some spells to swing things in their favor.
My dreams are going to be so screwed up after this, she thinks as she begins her act. She peeks through her fingers and rounds her eyes wide, seemingly in recognition. She steps out beside Orin and kneels, sweeping her hands low.
"Oh, forgive me, my most beauteous and wise lord. I was still playing along with them. I had thought them more sensible than the goblins above and would refrain from attacking you long enough for them to see the truth that you have whispered in my ear. The radiance of your form robbed me of my senses for a moment. I spoke unthinkingly. Please spare them a few moments so that they might properly prepare for your magnificence." Her words are sweet and sincere sounding, but there's subtle inflections and stresses on certain words, a message for her allies hidden in the false praise.
Kaelaah does little more than stand with his flames growing If anything, a sneer is starting to form on his amber lit visage...
Kaede doesn't blush nearly as much as Tera or Sal, being familiar with nudes (Though mostly in statues). However, Tera's fawning gets a second look from the Shelynite, until she gets the point across. After one hand on her chest, and one word of prayer to her lady, Kaede slips forward, keeping her glaive from pointing at any of the outsiders.
Zache steps quietly into the room, watching Tera closely as she kneels in supplication. I hope you know what you're doing, he thinks, glancing back up to the winged figure and hoping his face shows the appropriate amount of shock.
While Oliver holds back with his bow at the ready, Sister Amet'Ra advances with her former pupils. The beautiful, aging priestess opens her mouth as if to reply but is too slow. When Orin's bold challenge is made she closes her mouth into a smirk.
Before Tera's attempt at trickery has even finished, the barghests spring forward. Arcing out, around the fire, the move in on Sal and Kaede and chomp at them...
,
,
Tera's chagrin at the unraveling of her ruse before it has a chance to get started is quickly replaced by worry as both Sal and Kaede are attacked. She pulls out the holy symbol from where it was tucked under her robes and holds it aloft.
"We stand in the defense of Sandpoint! By the will of the Master of the First Vault, let our enemies fear our keen blades," she calls out as golden light burst from the symbol and settles on the Godmarked, Sister Amet'ra, Orin, and Oliver. Her prayer answered, she pulls out her bow and recalls another spell, one that was going to be rather painful for their enemies in a few moments.
With a quick twist of her wrist, Kaede shifts her glaive's blade into the path of the barghast jumping at her, before shifting her hands down the shaft. "Rose's blessing," She quietly intones before returning the attack with one of her own.