Amadeen keeps cackling, glancing now at Eluvias.
One-on-one? Nah, let's tip those odds!
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Eluvias’ sword grew darker and darker, until it seemed as if though light seemed to flee from it’s very presence. The elf brought it down on the statue with thunderous force. It was the kind of attack that would have cut an ogre in half, and one which would have killed Eluvias two times over if it had hit him. A true test of what was tougher, the blade or the statue.
Eluvias’ sword grew darker and darker, until it seemed as if though light seemed to flee from it’s very presence. The elf brought it down on the statue with thunderous force. It was the kind of attack that would have cut an ogre in half, and one which would have killed Eluvias two times over if it had hit him. A true test of what was tougher, the blade or the statue... the blade it seems.
Though she slips under the ponderous swing of the vengeful statue, Impasha doesn't really have her head in the game. She keeps glancing back over her shoulder at the smoky presence overlooking them as she swings at her attacker.
Amadeen keeps cackling, glancing now at Eluvias.
Seeing Impasha's attacks slowed by the distraction of the looming face, Johund takes the steps two at a time, arriving at the base to slam his dagger hilt into her opponent's head.
The last statue brings it's fist down hard on Johunds armour denting it in a glancing blow. All of you can see your weapons are dulled and have notches from striking the living statues.
Eluvias
Impasha
Amadeen
Johund
Statues Green -8
Amadeen turns to see the remaining statue being ganged up on by her companions, just as it should be.
Johund hammers the hilt of both daggers into the statue's face.
With one statue down, Eluvias turned on the second. He was tiring, as striking a statue was much harder than hitting flesh. Still, his blade was made of sterner stuff than he, and it continued to cut away at the construct.
With one statue down, Eluvias turned on the second. He was tiring, as striking a statue was much harder than hitting flesh. Still, his blade was made of sterner stuff than he, and it continued to cut away at the construct smashing it to chunks.
The room becomes still and silent... you are still surrounded by statues at various points but none move, seemingly mundane.
Amadeen looks about.
"So, is anyone hurt?", she asks.
"If not, let's find a way to get east."
Amadeen looks again.
"Oh yes, we should probably deal with that."
She calls to the smoke monster in Azlanti:
"You there! Are you going to let us past now? We're not your old students!"
There is no response, the smoke becoming formless once more...
"Well that was...was... anticlimactic."
”There are worse problems to have. Hopefully it will remain anticlimactic from here on out.”
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There is no response, the smoke becoming formless once more...
"Amadeen, I don't know anything about magic really, but I wonder if what we just experienced was a sort of magical trap that we triggered accidentally just by walking in here. In which case the smoke up there may just be a medium for a message to be delivered, and not a sentient creature at all."
"Also did you notice how the statues seemed to emerge from other statues, like copies? The mouth spoke about how the apprentices were being trapped in a moment of time. The trap may not discriminate regarding its targets, and might be very specific in who it's addressing, simply because it doesn't expect anyone else would ever be in here."
"That tells me a few things. First, there may be other traps of this sort meant to punish these apprentices, whoever they were. But more importantly, if time was frozen in here, the apprentices might actually still be in here. They may have survived this ambush but not be able to escape from here. I don't see any bodies or ancient robes or blood stains on the floor here."
"Excellent points, Impasha. Let's see if we can't find these ex-students and get them talking."
Eight statues of regal figures garbed in ancient finery line each wall of this wide hallway, peering southward down the hallway. Each bears a
brief transcription on its base written in an ancient script.The stairs to the south lead up to a ninth statue, taller than the others.This figure holds a mighty glass sword above its smooth, featureless face, and its other hand juts outward, palm upturned as if seeking alms.
You this is a statue of a legendary pre-Earthfall figure from Azlanti myth known as the "Last Azlanti." This hero of prophecy would rescue the empire in its greatest time of need (a prediction Aroden later fulfilled or took advantage of, according to different sources).
A rather dishevelled looking man stands in this room, his head turns to look at you, his eyes wide. Amadeen and Johund recognise him as Rozimus of Tymon who led an expedition into these Accursed Halls but it went wrong. He had gifted you a wayfinder and asked you to search for the bodies of his compatriots.
"Stay back!" His hand goes to the hilt of his sword but has not yet drawn it. A wayfinder on a leather thong dangles on his chest. "I just came here to pray and don't want any trouble."
"I said stay back. There's no way out of this place but that doesn't mean I'm going to trust you."
”What foolishness. A Paladin comes by to offer help and you throw it in her face?” The elf scoffed.
Amadeen is momentarily distracted by the statues.
She then chimes in on the conversation, in a pleasant tone of voice.
"Rozimus, you really should listen to Impasha here. A crusader and a companion of royalty. i.e. Me. Queen Amadeen of Thorneholme. Now, please calm down and let's talk."
The man seems to calm a little but looks confused. "How do you know my name?"
"Yes, we've met. You had led an expedition into these halls which went south. You gifted us a wayfinder and asked us to find the bodies of your colleagues. Well, we're here. So why are you here?"
"I did no such thing, you must have me confused..." He's quiet for a few moments. "But you could be telling the truth, maybe I haven't met you yet but will when I leave which now I know is at least possible though it wasn't when last I tried."
Amadeen thinks a moment.
"Would you like an escort out of this place? Or would you prefer to head away on your own?"
" We were exploring but this place but there is an array of monsters, new ones seem to be transported here regularly. I'll find my own way out. If I gave the wayfinder to you it's got to be important. I'll seek you out once I'm outside and give it to you."
"Monsters you could recognise? Or completely novel?"
"I didn't recognise any of them." He calls out before leaving the room and going back the way you came. Not encumbered by heavy armour he pulls ahead of your group but looks warily about.
A massive triangular table carved with arcane sigils dominates this room.Three ornate chairs offer a commanding view of visitors. The north, east, and south walls each feature a door brightly coloured blue, yellow, and red, respectively.
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"I didn't recognise any of them." He calls out before leaving the room and going back the way you came.
"You're welcome." murmurs Impasha, in a rare moment of sarcasm.
With a mild sigh, she trudges up the stairway past the demon faces and pushes open the door at the top.
A massive triangular table carved with arcane sigils dominates this room.Three ornate chairs offer a commanding view of visitors. The north, east, and south walls each feature a door brightly coloured blue, yellow, and red, respectively.
"Three chairs, three doors, three demon faces, all helpfully color-coded. Are you getting the feeling there were 3 apprentices?" she asks as she enters the room and pokes around.
"Eh. Being stuck down here would do bad things to one I suspect. I don't remember him being that brusque before. Oh well. Let's press on."
************
"Yes, I get that impression too..."
Amadeen enters, warily.
Eluvias, for his part, merely chanted the words needed to see magic residue.
All the doors register abjuration magic.
You find no secret doors or discarded items in this area.
Amadeen watches the result carefully....
The door doesn't budge.
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"Held shut with magic, I'd guess." says Impasha. "Which means there is probably a password or something that opens it." She moves to check the other doors, expecting the same thing to be true of all three.
"I suppose it would make sense. If I was a treacherous apprentice betraying my master, I'd keep my door magically warded as well." She thinks for a moment and looks back at the table. "And I most likely wouldn't trust my fellow apprentices either. Especially after we got caught in a magical trap together."
"I suspect it has something to do with those statues and chairs we saw back there. I say that we should first explore as much as we can until we run out of unlocked doors."
The doors in this room all stubbornly refuse to open. The only other way leading into another area you have seen are the three narrow gaps in the room where you were attacked by the statues... though even a cat would have to squeeze to enter those passages.
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"The chairs just look like chairs. I'm going to have another look at those demon faces. They were magical, yes? Perhaps there's a connection to the magic on the doors."
Impasha will study the blue demon head more carefully. But she clearly doesn't know what she's looking for.
"Maybe you have to give an offering of some kind. Like a coin maybe. Or blood. Not that I relish indulging such a perverse thing as this."
"Amadeen, is there any significance to these demon heads from Azlanti lore? Do they represent specific entities do you think?"
”All good questions. If all else fails I could try and dispel the magic on the door. But I can only do so once, and such a resource should not be used without good cause.”
Amadeen has a quick think...
Amadeen recalls some references that amongst the common deities worshipped by the Azlanti included demon lords but beyond that she can't think of anything more significant than that.
Impasha does note the mouth is open wide enough for someone to place their hand within.
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Impasha stares at the demon mouth hole for a long time, frowning. She doesn't seem puzzled so much as trying to decide something.
"I'm not afraid of you." she finally says defiantly to the impassive ugly face, perhaps a little too aggressively. She then yanks the gauntlet off her right hand and shoves it into the blue demon's mouth impulsively, like someone who acts to keep themselves from reconsidering their action.
"Well?" she says, challenging the head.
Impasha feels nothing but when she withdraws her hand she can see it now has a blue arcane rune on it.
”Brave and foolish. So long as it does not explode upon touching the door, may I examine that rune on your hand?”