Savage lands a pair of punches on the one holding Fredrick.
Noisy shouts again at the one holding him, again causing the winds to twitch in response to the sharp noise.
San Xiao hurls a bunch of bombs at the one above him, all 3 scoring noticeable hits.
None of the creatures go away but the wind from their collective sails has been lessened.
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Luisila gives herself a mental paddlin’
UGH! I had the perfect spell to use against incorporeals – so that’s what I saw! Even after Saruna showed us her mastery over elemental creatures …
Luisila raises her clasped palms high above her head as she lifts her head to Elysium. “Calistria, remove our blinkers. Let us see through the subterfuges we invent in our own minds.”
“SET US FREE!” She pulls her praying hands apart violently.
“Fred, I’d suggest healing yourself, buddy.”
Luisila then copycats and takes a 5’ step to the NW.
Fredrick will channel to heal himself and party figuring he cannot easily escape.
Noisy easily wiggles free of the wispy creatures grasp.
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Luisila reaches out to the dwarven bard, converts a grace to cure moderate wounds and *casts* the spell.
Conan buffs and enters the shrine room.
Luisila copies herself and let liberates and heals Noisy.
The three windy creatures press their attack
On Fredrick, higher
On Noisy , higher
for
for
for
for
vs cmd
5' and On San Xiao, higher
for
for
for
for
vs cmd
You hear a call from outside the temple with a familiar raspy voice
"What is going on in there? ."
=== round 2===
1. Swirls 5' up (attacked), #1(-51, holding), #2 (holding,-75), #3(-63, holding?)
2. Fred (-6, pin -2 con), Conan (FoM)
3. Luisila(dupe), Noisy(-14,grappled), Savage(), San Xiao(dex)
San Xiao hits the one holding him directly in the face and it disappears in a puff.
One more bomb takes down Noisy's
And the last one enveloping Fredrick dies with the third.
Fredrick is still pinned by the last creature and we are still in rounds.
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Finally free, thanks to Luisila's magics, only to get wrapped back up in the mihstu's airy tentacles yet again, Noisy starts to curse.
A moment later, as San Xiao's bombs explodes all around him and the elemental creature that holds him disappears in a puff of air, he stands wide eyed, staring around breathing heavily, his beard bristling.
"Damnded things!" he mutters.
Hearing the voice of Saruna out in the hallway, he responds with barely controlled anger. "What trickery is this, Saruna!?!"
"We offer to assist you, and you have us ambushed?!"
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“You said we had a free run of your library, as long as we respected your private apartments – WHICH WE DID!”
Luisila speaks with cold fury. “Badru told us what you are! We didn’t believe him but maybe he was right.”
Expecting the frontline will rescue Fredrik, Luisila converts air bubble to CLW and heals Noisy.
“San Xiao, are you hurt?”
And Conan takes down the last one. Luisila heals Noisy as he calls out into the hall.
The raspy voice of Saruna responds.
"Greetings again Pathfinders. I just went to research some key elements we will need. I was just down the hall when I heard a commotion from the temple. The air creatures must have figured you were intruding.
Nevertheless, I imagine you were not hurt. More importantly, how did your exchange with Badru transpire? Certainly he was not eager to give up his hearts tone. Were you able to obtain it without much effort? ."
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"Between these creatures here, and the fiery ones earlier almost burning the place down, I wonder if she has as much control over these things as she lets on?" Noisy muses to the others with a thoughtful frown.
He beats a quick tempo on his hip and mutters a few arcane words.
He then goes back out into the hallway to confront Saruna directly.
He waits for some backup, before continuing.
"I would have thought you'd be concerned about this." He calls to her, holding up the canopic jar they retrieved from Badru's workshop.
"So will you assist us in accessing the Beacon, without more... 'surprises'." He adds, frowning, watching her carefully.
Once Noisy enters the hall, he sees Saruna in the hallway to the south. She appears alarmed but not particularly threatening. The porter stands paralyzed with fear and the remainder of the party cannot yet see her from their location within the temple of Thoth.
Any that exit into the hall must save vs fear if they had not already saved vs Saruna previously...which may have only been Noisy
Thank you for finding and retrieving my heart and jar.
I needed to retrieve my notes describing how to create a
lesser sage jewel using Badru’s soul focus, and how to use
it to activate the portal. SO do you have Badru's heartgem or not?
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Luisila *casts* communal resist energy (fire) and touches each party member before addressing Saruna.
“To be lady saruna, Frank, I don’t really trust you.”
Luisila realizes she’s had a blonde moment, but presses on wondering if it will distract the librarian.
“One of the reasons Badru is dead is because he lied to us – or at least attempted to mislead us.”
Luisila continues speaking forthrightly. “Some of my colleagues believe in you. While I may not be convinced, I am certainly prepared to free you.”
The priestess makes an open handed gesture. “But I don’t want you near us when you’re released. So here’s my proposition: give us your notes, let us activate the beacon and we will release you from this place.”
“Otherwise sarunaly, this may be resolved with force. By the way, are you undead?”
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Noisy puts one hand up. "Please, we do not need to go there." He says with a frown towards Luisila. "I realize trust is hard to find, but we need her help, as she needs ours."
"Why does no one ever wish to cooperate anymore." He adds with a sigh.
He continues, towards Saruna. "As the lady has said, Badru has been dealt with. Though we did not uh... disassemble ... him right then and there, in case there was a special procedure involved."
He looks solemn. "And, I still hope to say a few words over what remains once we do. Though he may have been content with what the Sapphire Sage did to you both, he was not always what he became."
All but Conan are able to withstand the horror of the mummified visage of Saruna as they exit into the hallway.
Savage brings out Badru while Conan trembles in fear at her raspy voice.
"My dear, I do not care if you believe me. I have survived over 1000 years and do not need to listen to sass from the likes.... Oh you do have Badru. Excellent. We must get the gem and purify it with the proper rituals.."
Saruna was obviously about to chide Luisila when Noisy interrupts the escalating exchange with the winged librarian.
"Bring the body back into the temple...."
She waits for you to return back into the temple of Thoth.
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Whatever …
Unhappy about Conan’s state, Luisila nevertheless respects Savage’s mission for the Dark Archive and will not try to prevent the group’s return to the hidden temple of Thoth.
“Can you supress the effect that causes our companion to freeze up, Saruna? Otherwise I will stand with him while you do what you need to do.”
Unsure whether it will remedy his condition, Luisila decides to take a chance and tap the bardbarian with her wand of protection from evil. Within the temple, she watches their ally closely for any sign of betrayal.
“fear greannmhar Dearg, beidh mé ag caitheadh croí buaine ar leat má táimid ag dul isteach chomhrac.”
Saruna seems too involved with preparing for the ritual to create the sage gem than to notice the posturing of the party. She seems genuine in her intent to create the gem and reach the beacon.
I cannot suppress the effect. Thank the Amethyst Sage for yet another curse upon me with this existence. The sooner we complete our task the sooner I can be free of this place....and body.
She will take Badru's gem from whomever offers it.
We can purify and empower the gem to create a flawed sage
jewel. Although the replica cannot store memories as a true
sage jewel can, it should be sufficient to fool the portal
and other devices and guardians here.
Badru's stone is cursed, and anyone carrying
it will be tainted. We must perform a 1-hour ritual
using the moonlight in Thoth’s chapel to purify it.
Once the gem has been purified, we can use the gem
to absorb the blessing of Isis from the guardians of the portal.
Do you understand all I am saying?
Turning to Luisila
"Are you certain you do not want me to accompany you downstairs to ensure all is done properly? I am placing my only chance at redemption in your hands. So you are asking much for me to trust you.
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"What is it with Osirion's and curses?" Noisy says, with a grim chuckle.
"The ritual will remove the curse?" He asks her, hesitantly.
He sighs, then picks up the gem. "Fine, lets get this done."
"Do we need to absorb the blessing from the golems below? We saw them earlier, but left them alone. Our hope was the gem might allow us to pass without a big to do."
"Our goal in coming here was to document and catalog whenever possible."
He glances at the others, then turns to Saruna. "If this is to take an hour, perhaps we could continue our cataloging duties up here, while we wait?"
Yes, I suspect those are the guardians the ritual speaks of but I have not been down there in hundreds of years so I am not sure what other guardians Badru may have installed on his own...which may not be impressed with the gem
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… You are asking much for me to trust you.
“I understand that, but surely you sense the undercurrent of … if not quite goodwill, then sympathy to your plight.”
Luisila’s tone is businesslike but not unfriendly. “Most of this party is very honorable, a concept you may have had to abandon during your long time in captivity.”
“This doesn't even take into account the fact my colleague has an individual mission to perform that directly concerns you.” The half-elf *shrugs* “Frankly our accord is yours to… burn.”
Luisila remains on guard close to Conan. She opens her mouth to speak as Savage offers to carry the gem, but shuts it again before allowing a moment or two to pass.
“I can cast break enchantment, though it takes a full minute. Let’s get on with it then.”
"Very well. Once the gem has been purified we will head to the portal. ."
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Conan stands trembling, just managing a jerky nod when Luisila addresses him. He answers her in hoarse Elven, with big pleading eyes.
Conan does not want Saruna to travel with them! She is deeply scary to him! At least right now.
"Perhaps we can... manage the rest of this area... where she is not?"
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"Inis a bhí, cad é? Mé faoi deara aon rud fiú dul ar."
Thinking that Conan’s condition might improve the further the party gets from Saruna, Luisila nods in agreement.
“We’re supposed to catalogue the entire complex, right Noisy?”
It’s good to know where Saruna will be while we do some snooping anyway. Who knows, maybe we’ll find out some more about the Beacon?
While Saruna is absorbed in the work of purifying the gem in the temple of Thoth for an hour, the rest of you start cataloging in the north and south halls. Rounding the southern hall, you spot a few doors. All but Conan notice another door behind an illusory wall to the south.