Adaxis tears the blurry figure that attacked him into blurry shreds. A moment later the one that attacked Zandu fades away.
As the body hits the ground it stops blurring. The party's attacker appears to be have been an unfamiliar scarred half-orc in oiled black leathers.
Adaxis recalls that when he was still shrouded in the bluriness he could barely make out his own voice. If that last blurred figure is Mousebane it's unlikely he can understand him.
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Hmm I have a ideal. it will require a fishing pole, two rats, some kinda laser pointer device, a small but efficient pulley and lever system as well as another one of those delicious drinks with the umbrella in it Zandu says as he ponders the circumstance
"if only we had a way to telepathically speak to it he laments.
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Darn it! He must can't hear me. Nothing left to do but move on. I hope to see him again when we leave dis plane.
Sadden by the circumstances and futile attempts, the dwarf druid leaves the blurred figure behind.
Better get prepared before we try another room. North then?
He takes out a metamagic rod of lesser extend and casts Bristle, Burrow and Produce Flame upon his right claw. Then, he searches the northern door for traps before opening.
Moving north, the party quickly comes to a tee.
#3 - In the center of this small circular chamber rises a pillar of pale white ether. Within the column twist the ghostly forms of thousands of silently screaming angels.
#7 - To the east is a ballroom featuring nauseatingly gaudy decor including thick, violet carpeting and glass tables set upon white marble bases carved to resemble pyramids. The room is walled with crushed gold-leaf panels set in ebon-lacquered walnut frames and lit by six tremendous iron and crystal chandeliers.
#4 - To the west and then curving north there's a guest observatory with broad windows allowing a stunning view of Absalom and the surrounding isle. The walls are decorated with dramed maps of the Inner Sea, sky charts, and various instruments of astronomy and navigation. Three dead Pathfinders lie strewn across the furniture, their throats slashed and their equipment stolen.
Zandu sees no tracks. Whoever killed these men was either a ghost or a trained killer, accustomed to leaving no sign of his/her passage.
Butyl can't make heads or tails of the strange pillar but it's certainly creepy.
Adaxis sees no signs of tracks.
#5 This room is entirely lightless. Via his darkvision, Butyl can see, at the center, a massive, metal-framed cylinder filled with strange black liquid. A plaque upon its base reads “The Orvian.” The strange liquid within the cylinder seems to devour any light and gives off an eerie chill.
There looks to be a compartment midway down the cylinder.
Adaxis finds a trap!
It appears that the liquid on top of the cylinder will be sprayed across the room if he opens the compartment.
Moving further west Butyl discovers a long hallway with double doors on one side. These doors all appear to lead to small guest quarters (#9). Following the hallway, the party discovers a towering stone totem pole, its faces consisting of various jungle animals with anthropomorphic features. A bronze plaque set into its display base reads, “The Mwangi.” (#10). The hallway continues all the way around the outside of Skyreach, ending at the guest observatory again.
Adaxis disables the trap without any problems.
Inside the compartment are a handful of papers that seem to describe the black substance in the bowl at the top of the cylinder.
The substance is known as 'black blood' and it's native to the Darklands. Ingesting it gives the drinker enhanced power over necromancy but has dangerous side effects.
#11 After a short hallway, the room opens into small gallery that displays an impressive collection of Tian art. Upon shelves lining the room rest dozens of handblown glass baubles, each hiding a tiny etching of a bucolic scene within. Above the baubles, stylized brush and ink paintings hang upon the walls, depicting carp and dragons amid rolling waves and wind-whipped mountains. Wooden stands about the room display a menagerie of small ivory carvings, including a pair of foo dogs, several unusual dragons, a bear, a fisherman, a cluster of rats, and an osprey. The eyes of the osprey seem to follow the party as they pass through the gallery.
An arch to the north opens to a curved passage. To the east, a small antechamber houses a curved staircase rises up into darkness.
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"Is this one of those portraits with the eyes cut out, where you hide behind it and spy on people?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Zarzuket believes this is a figurine of wondrous power that's keyed to a specific purpose.
#12 There's a noticeable change in the air as Karu opens the door. This is the displaced ambassador's chamber Eliza mentioned.
The room is well-furnished, with sofas and plush chairs lining the walls. A shelf holds ledgers with an array of names and dates, presumably signed by visitors. Some of the names have numbers referencing journals or notes supposedly filed elsewhere within the chamber. One half of a small, rough-cut geode rests on a brass stand. To the west, a small antechamber houses a curved staircase rises up into darkness.