You open the desired door.
The crumbling remnants of several chairs and a long table clutter the floor of this room. To the south stand three stone doors, each bearing a strange symbol that resembles a seven-pointed star.
The three doors to the south were once prison cells. Within each is a single skeleton of a badly deformed humanoid; one has three arms, another has an enormous misshapen skull, and the third has a ribcage that goes all the way down to its pelvis—a pelvis with stunted legbones strewn below its strangely flat girth.
"Ye gods, what manner of creatures were these?!" Wyam exclaims at seeing the remains.
Poking through the rubble to see if there was anything interesting,
"More mutations, I assume," Chaise says. "These ones look humanoid. Let us hope they weren't human. Who knows what manner of experiments were conducted."
"Disturbing findings here, to be sure."
Hey, whats that!
Your search of the torn-up pages uncovers a single intact scroll under a broken chair. The writing on this scroll seems strange and archaic.
Glimmer lands and pokes her head under a broken chair.
You said that writings are the most valuable things that can be taken from a ruin, right?
"Quite." Spectrum says, crouching down to take a look, and then moving the chair.
With a gesture, Spectrum gently lifts the scroll into the air with magic, careful not to touch it himself just yet.
"These sorts of things are often quite delicate. Well done, Glimmer."
How valuable is it!?
"It may take a while to determine that."
Whatever it's worth, I want it! I found it!
Chaise takes a quick glance at the scroll and finds its contents indecipherable. "I've a scroll for comprehending languages if you need it," he offers to Spectrum. He inspects the skeletons once more before turning to the others.
"I think this is all we're going to find here. We should move on."
"I have one of my own. Thank you, though."
Chaise identifies a Scroll of Flaming Sphere (CL 5th)
Chaise hands the scroll to Spectrum after he identifies it.
"Let's hope there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for us."
Wyam snorts at Chaise's stated preference. "Better to count on there being one around every corner and under every rock. The best way to get yourself killed is to be unaware of the danger; surely you've read that in your books?"
The door swings open. Water ripples quietly in a circular stone pool lined with skulls here. Smears of what looks like blood mar the pool’s rim in places.
A low growl rumbles in two throats as you are spotted. A sinspawn and a hideously rotted floating head turn to glare at you.
The sinspawn steps forward and slashes at Noro.
Its blade lands a glancing blow against her.
"Well, you see--" Chaise's voice stops when the door swings open and the group is confronted with a nasty surprise. "Hope can spring eternal."
The sinspawn he recognized, and he quickly thinks over all the information he knows about the floating head.
"A vargouille! Kill it, quick! Don't let it open its mouth or kiss you!"
Round 1
"Noro, watch out!" exclaims Wyam. He tried to cover the lighter-armored woman.
Spectrum was rather tired of these creatures. He drew fromt eh arcane wellspring within his pendant and focused.
The floating head's jaw drops and a foul, piercing shriek screams out, blasting at everyone.
Wyam falls to the ground, twitching, clutching his ears.
"Blast," Chaise curses, only just able to prevent himself from being paralysed. Unable to do much from behind, he advises the others on defeating it. "Kill the head first! The vargouille is an outsider and reproduces fast if left unchecked. It's already used its paralysing shriek but its poison and kiss are still troublesome! They aren't very smart so you can catch them off-guard when they try to swoop down and bite!"
Noro lets out a loud groan as the shriek gives her a splitting headache; hitting out with an uppercut, she aims a blow at the floating head's foul jaw.
...and she smashes right through the jaw and up into the creature's brain-case, sending a short burst of grey matter up onto the roof.
The sinspawn looks up in surprise as the head disappears. Letting out a surprisingly soft 'mew'ing sound it licks its lips, lowers its weapon and steps aside. Moaning contentedly, it leans back against the wall.
After a tense pause, Chaise admits that the sinspawn seems docile now that the vargouille was out of the picture.
"That . . . was interesting. Good shot, Noro, but I think you might want to wash your hands."
That vargouille has been pestering and annoying and taunting that sinspawn for a very, very long time. The satisfaction of the fury, the wrath built up inside it, has made it significantly more ambivalent towards you. He's definitely not your friend, and come back in two days and he'll maul you, but for now you are free to pass.
After nearly a minute, Wyam scrabbles around trying to get back up.
"Yikes, that thing gave me one mother of a headache!" he exclaimed. Shaking his head in confusion, he then asked, "I assume we keep going this way?"
Water ripples quietly in a circular stone pool lined with skulls here. Smears of what looks like blood mar the pool’s rim in places. Spectrum detects a weak magical aura. This pool was once used as a place to wash the grime of the world above from the feet of visitors. Once an hour, the waters of the pool magically replenish and are purified. The blood on the pool’s rim was left by several of the sinspawn that have taken to using the pool as a watering hole.
Spectrum, still with potent charge and magical accuracy enchanting his blade, looks at the Sinspawn for a moment. It was dangerous, unpredictable, and far too close to Sandpoint for his taste.
He speaks in a very old language.
The sinspawn stands there, placidly, showing no sign that it has heard Spectrum. Chaise remembers that they are only 'born' knowing Aklo, and that it is unusual for them to learn another language
Spectrum sighs and turns to Wyam.
"This creature is dangerous, evil, and will attack should anyone happen this way in the future. The logical thing to do would be to simply kill it now. Ethically, I cannot be certain. I tend to concern myself more with potential real consequences than metaphysical ones, so I admit to being limited in this particular arena. I leave the decision up to you."