Zira: "That painting is our best bet, but i wonder what we'll find on the other side.", as she looks at Charis with a face of mixed feelings.
Since -someone- will eventually touch it first....
Nothing bad happens.... :P
On the other side, you find yourselves in a 20ft by 25ft room.
Ominous carvings decorate the wall, and it's almost as if some of the carving's are looking at you.
Ahead is a large door, without an apparent lock or device to work on.
A mass of squid-like tentacles hold the edges.
When approaching it, a gurgling voice, hollow, forboding, asks you:
<What, be the gatekeeper, bringer of this world's fall.>
"Oh boy, more tentacles." She hears a voice speak. "The Eternal Watcher, of course."
Charis remembers seeing the statue, but she never tried to identify it.
Realizing she has no idea what the creature is even like, she pretends to be insulted. "Really? You think I don't know what the gate keeper is? It's the Eternal Watcher, praised to be omnipotent, lead of the world's fall."
At her initial answer, the voice speaks again.
<"Incorrect.">
The carvings spew forth a violet mist.
Only Carlaya and Rags are initially affected, while the mist subsides.
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Charis didn't need her vision to know this would be a trap.
"Um, I feel strange, what is this place?" Carlaya scratches her head. "That mist tasted good, at least."
The door remains in place.
Ed Earl: "Damned be this place, whatever evil mastermind is behind all this, shall feel my blade in their gut."
Renee: "Mon amis, i have the gut feeling this door will not stop until we give the right answer. Perhaps, Charis, you were onto something still. With religious fanatics, they accent their gods, non?"
As Renee steps forward, the voice repeats:
<What, be the gatekeeper, bringer of this world's fall.>
Renee, full of confidence:
"He be praised!"
.......
The sound of stone sliding upon stone ensues, as the door opens.
Through the light of torches, you can see the hallway enter a room, 45 feet ahead.
Realizing Carlaya inhaled way too much of that Where did Zira go? Teleporter accident? The intrepid thief takes the lead.
As Charis starts looking around her, puzzled, Renee notices the same - the sorceress is missing.
"Mon Dieu, mademoiselle Zira is no longer with us. First monsieur dwarf falls, and now this. How many more of us will this cursed place claim?"
There is frustration in the half-orc's voice, but then he calms down. They've come too far to turn back now.
"Pardon. It is not my intention to fall into despair. We strive on. You lead us bravely, mademoiselle Charis, I thank you for that."
And with that, Renee grabs his bow firmly, and continues following the Maiden of Jewels.
The room is oddly quiet. There are texts written in aklo on plaques on the a central column.
It looks like they form a mural around it, together with images of cities crumbling, something otherwordly in the skies, and allround chaos.
Charis sees three levers.
Each has a different symbol for a head.
Left : A gate
Middle: An ominously looking eye.
Right : A torch.
The Maiden casts Comprehend Languages and tries to read the texts on the central column. "I hope this inscription gives us a clue."
Ed Earl wasn't paying too much attention, but Charis, like him, now reads the text in Aklo.
Though some words seem incomprehensible.
Passages:
When the emmisaries arrive, all heretics shall perish.
.....
And the gatekeeper will turn his gaze upon the world's heretics, and they shall be consumed by his power.
.....
No gods of this planet will stop the gatekeeper, the doors to the world shall fall, all will be consumed.
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Carlaya wipes a bit of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. "Um, what's with the weird writing? I don't get it!"
The Maiden translates what she can read. "It um...talks about the end days, yadda yadda yadda. I get the eye and the gate, but I don't see what the torch has to do with this."
And the gatekeeper will turn his gaze upon the world's heretics... "I don't know if that means I should pull one of them, or if I should pull neither." She reaches up to the level with the gate-shaped handle. "They keep talking about the gatekeeper, so maybe this is it."
While all three passages talk about "The Gatekeeper", Charis pulls the one with the gate emblem.
Two solid doors slowly slide open on both flanks.
" Good news everyone. We're not dead. " The Maiden looks around, amazed when she sees the gates simply open. "Let us head east and see what's down there. " She begins to sneak in that direction.
Charis sees two ways to go. Ahead is a set of wooden double doors, flanked by two torches.
To her right is a long hallway.
"Hallway." Charis creeps down the hallway, looking for anything suspicious. And hopefully no mimics.
Charis steps into a 40 by 50 ft large hall.
4 statues decorate the room. They are something not of this world, a mix between a bat creature with an octopus head.
To the north is a door, to the east a dimly lit room, and to the south is another hallway.
However, from behind he statues steps forth a woman. Wearing a white dress, a red cloth girdle around the waste, and a dark green mantle, hiding her eyes, she stands nearly at an opposite of Charis in the room.
"You must be the intrusive strangers, that the masters have told about. Do tell, why come to our residence?"
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The Maiden frowns. "I see it. All of it. Society crumbling beneath unknown weight. Madness, insanity consuming us. Every minute I spend here I feel something trying to creep into my mind. Well, more than usual anyway."
She looks at Grog. "It's already claimed two of my friend's lives. I can't... I can't even find one of them. I do not know how the world will end, but it won't end today. And it won't end here. We're going to stop whatever is trying to force its way into this world, whether you like it or not."
"So, how will this go? Another cryptic message? Another deadly trap? Or do you have enough sanity to get out of our way?"
"If that is the situation, you would still press on? I do apologize, but the masters will not be disturbed."
"Why come to your residence? S$@+, I don't know, ice cream? Why are we here again? Rags? Any idea?" She looks at the snake for answers.
Rags' only response is a short turning of his head, as his tongue scans his surroundings.
"If you still aim to proceed, you will force our hand. Last chance to leave."
"Sorry about this. You can surrender at any point and we'll let you go." The Maiden reaches for her whip...
"No mademoiselle, we shall not leave. There is evil here. Evil, that torments the dreamers, invading Desna's domain. And we are here to put an end to it!"
Renee nocks an arrow as he speaks, believing the this parlay will only end in violence.
"As mademoiselle Charis says, you can surrender. Tell us where to find the source of this evil, and let us finish our work."
The woman sighs slightly.
"This...is not our choice..."
The words seem to have come with difficulty.
A faint hunch says fighting might indeed not be their own choice.
Having said that, two other women in similar clothing step from behind the farthest two statues, and the trio now stands at the other side of the room.
--------------
Carlaya
--------------
Cyan and Red
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Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
--------------
Green
The Maiden frowns. "I'm sorry."
"Shoot the thing, right? Ya, shoot it! Wheeee!" Carlaya giggles as she fires a few shots at the center woman.
Rags stays put for now, because what's a cultist dungeon without more traps during combat?
The woman takes the double Arrow, without flinching.
Cyan swiftly moves up to Charis, with uncanny grace, and with same grace swings her fist.
It connects with Charis' jaw, and she feels light headed.
Red moves in as well.
Except she doesn't hit.
--------------
Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
--------------
Green
C [FD, -1, 3, 4D]
G (-19)
R [FD, -1, 3, 4D]
Charis takes the hit, then rolls behind a pillar. She draws her whip and casts Good Hope upon the party.
"Hmm." Ed Earl draws his greatsword and steps up. "Something feels...no, maybe I was wrong. Nonetheless, I will vanquish all of you!" He swings at the Red-Cloaked woman.
The woman still stands, despite Ed Earl's brutal strike.
G -19
R -30
"Un moment, mes amies! Les mademoiselles seem reluctant to fight! Peut-être their hand is forced by some evil force. If you can, avoid killing blows."
With this in mind, Renee drops his nocked arrow and draws a blunt one from his quiver. He hopes Desna will judge his actions correct as he starts firing the arrows at red.
Renee shoots two arrows in rapid succession. While the first is a clear miss, the second flies true, until the last second, where upon the woman dodges to the left.
-------------------
Green (-19)
Her body recovers slightly from its wounds.
She moves forward a bit, and chants in Aklo.
Ed Earl feels a strong yank at his sword, and it is torn from his grip.
The sword swiftly flies towards the woman, and she catches it with one hand.
Pilfering hand.
=========================
Carlaya
--------------
Cyan & Red (-30)
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Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
--------------
Green (-15)
"Pilfering Hand...I wish I could learn that." Charis coughs up some blood.
"Damn, I'm bleeding everywhere. Let me think...Carlaya, can you get my wand of cure light wounds? It's in the left pocket."
"What's a bond of pure light ruins? I don't get it, Charis,...... if that's your real name," scatterbrained Carlaya mumbles, then continues firing at the red-eyed woman.
Carlaya puts on a sharply focused shot. As it flies past Renee, it goes right for the woman's chest. At the very last second, she slaps the arrow away as if dismissing an argument.
Renee being in the way prevents the second arrow from hitting.
------------------
Cyan moves south, and swings her fist towards Charis.
The attack is aimed at her torso.
Red slightly recovers from her injuries. (-26)
She moves away from Ed Earl, positioning herself, strangely enough, between him and Charis, seeking cover from the wall.
Injured still, she assumes defensive stance.
---------------------
Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
---------------------
Green (-15)
Another fist comes flying, and it hits Charis right in the gut. Despite her bleeding out, she manages to maintain her composure.
"If you don't want to fight us, how do we stop whatever is controlling you?"
Charis turns invisible before cartwheeling behind the pillar.
She looks at them very carefully, to see if some article of clothing is controlling them, or if there's a switch she can pull, or something!
Cyan and Red listen to Charis' footsteps.
The sisters have lost Charis' position.
Renee
Ed Earl
------------
Green (-15)
You see a vague set of lumps underneath Red's dress.
Similar to the contour of a set of ropes, when tied around the waist, and covered with cloth.
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Charis exhales, thankful they aren't following her. Yet. But she knows how it feels to be trapped. So, it's time to something really stupid: Give her position away to give a clue.
"The robes are hiding, something! Check under the robes!"
I can't believe I just told them to disrobe people.
Wow, are you sure? Humans are so random sometimes.
Ed watches his sword fly across the room and into the woman's hands. "Well, at least I won't hit anyone with them right now."
When Ed hears The Maiden, he turns a shade of red. "Er, if... if you say so."
Shuffling a bit, Ed reaches forward, hoping his armor will protect him from his vulnerability.
"That was easier than I thought. At least she can't slap any arrows away anymore."
As Ed Earl makes the move to grapple red, Cyan makes an AoO.
They miss, but as Ed Earl is about to actually grab her, she pushes his arms aside, deflecting his attempt.
In return, she makes an attack against him.
, but that turns out to be a miss as well.
Renee
------------
Green (-15)
Admist the battle, Renee keeps his eyes fixed with the ladies, trying to figure out if they are human at all.
Obviously annoyed by the way they can dodge the arrows, Renee now leaves the blunt-tipped arrows in place, returning to sharpened ones. Was the green-eyes casting spells? Best try to neutralize that one quickly.
Renee channels his goddesses into his arrows, and send two flying towards the green enemy.
Renee is quite the crackshot, but the sinister masters have made preparations.
His first Arrow flies past her just barely, into the hallway behind her.
When the second is about to hit mark, she slaps it aside.
----------------
Green recovers slightly from her wounds.
(-11)
She chants something in aklo again, and somewhere, an invisible wall rises.
Wind wall.
One of Kharum's prominent features, is the martial courtyard, where practitioners of unarmed combat hone their skills.
Shortly before the chaos, that you are looking into, started to affect the city, several practitioners of the churches of Abadar, Cayden Cailean and Desna, disappeared. Known and loved by the locals for their kindness and skill, it was a moral blow to the populace.
Talk about foul play by magical or alchemical means have been among speculation, as strange residue had been found in their soup bowls and tankards.
She then moves to take cover behind the statue.
===============================
Carlaya
---------------
Cyan
Red (-26)
---------------
Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
---------------
Green )-11)
Charis shakes her head. Archery will do us no good, here...
"My sharp flying sticks don't seem to be working so well," Carlaya says before firing some more at red anyway.
Rags slithers in and around, provoking some attacks from the women.
Carlaya shoots her arrows, but as soon as they fly, they are bouncing back, and fall onto the floor.
-----------------
Cyan makes an attempt to move around the statue, to close space with Charis, whereever she is.
, likewise missing.
She bumps, literally, into Charis as she was about to squeeze behind it.
"Found you. She's at the statue."
Red recovers slightly.
(-22)
She steps closer to Charis' position, yet keeps on the defensive, being pretty wounded and all.
------------------
Charis & Renee
Ed Earl
------------------
Green (-15)
C [FD, -1, 3, 7/8]
G [-15]
R [-22, FD, -1, 3, 8/8]
The Maiden spits up some more blood. "Well you found me, so... Don't bother with arrows, they put up a wall of wind to counter it."
Calling upon her visions to guide her, The Maiden tries to pass through the cyan cloaked woman.
"Somebody go after the lady in the back."
The Maiden takes this opportunity to stop the bleeding, at least.
"Well, I can't grab them. And I don't have other weapons on me, so..."
Ed double moves towards his sword.