Artemus realizes that the stone is a Eastern Star ioun stone, which grants its bearer to understand spoken languages and read everything as if under comprehend languages.
You also recall that you procured earlier two Western Star ioun stones, from Klarkosh on the 6th level and the demon on level 9.
Indeed, inside the palm of the statue near the body is a divet in the shape of the star ioun stone.
Upon the half-elf's suggestion, the party places the Western Star stone into the socket... but nothing happens.
However, moving to the other side, the statue there also bears a similar opening for a star ioun stone. Placing the Eastern Star stone there, the central door opens, revealing a large room with two ramps against the east and western walls that lead to a ledge along the north side. Two enormous statues of a wizard with a bristling beard loom from floor to ceiling in the southeast and southwest corners. A third statue of the same wizardly figure is made of metal and stands in the center of room with four humans, bound to the floor with chains and with barely a scrap of clothing on them, bow and prostrate themselves to the central statue.
Artemus also finds some writing below the eastern statue that reads, Eternal is the Seal of Estrekan. Eternal is her vigil against evil.
Art finds that the central statue bears a couple of different auras, but before he can identify them further, the statue moves, swiveling its head down to stare at the arcanist and bellows out in Azlanti, "Who dares intrude in the demesne of Nhur Athemon? Begone!"
Artemus steps back slightly, trying to get more of a read, but the statue is having none of it. "I said, "
It then leans back and then lurches forward, a gout of steam launching towards Thunderstealer and the wizard behind him!
Both of them are braced, taking some of the heat, but not all of it.
Init Order (bold = up)
Faeros
Statue
Artemus (18 damage)
Nilfyr
Thunderstealer (18 damage)
While the heat from the steam washes over Thunderstealer and Artemus, Faeros spots the erratic movement of the statue-thing and releases a trio of arrows at the thing.
The first two arrows strike the thing, but the last one bounces off of its metallic hide.
The statue moves forward and aims for Nilfyr with a massive fist, its mechanical body more apparent.
While Nilfyr is knocked by the blow, magics prevent him from being both held and then sliced up by the grinding gears within its hand and arm.
After seeing it in combat, you realize that this is a clockwork leviathan, albeit sculpted in a humanoid shape. Powerful steam runs its mechanics, and it can release it occasionally to blast foes. It can even swallow smaller foes whole, who are then boiled and ground up by its insides.
Being a clockwork creature, electricity harms it exceptionally well. Its grasping hands can grind up foes that are unable to escape its hold.
Init Order (bold = up)
Faeros
Statue (39 damage)
Artemus
Nilfyr
Thunderstealer
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f
Unsure what this thing is, Art backs up and summmons an earth elemental into a flanking position. It immediately attacks, power attacking.
CR 7
XP 3,200
N Huge outsider (earth, elemental, extraplanar)
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +13
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 7, flat-footed 19 (–1 Dex, +12 natural, –2 size)
hp 115 (10d10+40)
Fort +13, Ref +2, Will +7
DR 5/—; Immune elemental traits
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., earth glide
Melee 2 slams +19 (2d8+11)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks earth mastery
STATISTICS
Str 32, Dex 8, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +10; CMB +21; CMD 30
Feats Awesome Blow, Cleave, Greater Bull Rush, Improved Bull RushB, Improved Overrun, Power Attack
Skills Appraise +6, Climb +18, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +13, Stealth +4
Languages Terran
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Earth Glide (Ex)
A burrowing earth elemental can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. If protected against fire damage, it can even glide through lava. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other sign of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing earth elemental flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
Earth Mastery (Ex)
An earth elemental gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the elemental takes a –4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. These modifiers apply to bull rush and overrun maneuvers, whether the elemental is initiating or resisting these kinds of attacks. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)
It takes the party only a few seconds to smash the statue repeatedly, bringing it to its knees before the summoned elemental delivers the final blow.
The body of the statue rips apart in a shower of gears, wires, and boiling hot water that spills out onto the floor. The chained beings still fawn at the statues remains, although that site is countered by the strange, beating machine within the center of the statue's chest.
Artemus tries to deduce the item, but he has never seen such a craft before. He can only surmise that its the magical heart that powered the creature, still beating and functioning despite the statue's demise. Given the power of the magics in the heart, he guesses that it would fortify one's health if it somehow replaced a person's normal heart.
Nilfyr finds nothing else of interest about the statue aside from the mechanical heart that Artemus is analyzing and reviewing.
Nilfyr has a strange thought pop into his head that seems to fade from memory as he secures the strange item into his back. He feels an occasional thump, the slow beat of the mechanism, as he stands up and prepares to lead the way further.
With the strange artifact stowed, Artemus's magical detection now sees that the jewel eyes of the statue are also magical, tied to transmutation magic. Incidentally, he spots the other two statues along the north and south walls and there are indents were a large stone could be inserted, these statues also bearing similar transmutation magic.
Artemus continues his analysis, deducing that the gemstone eyes must be keys to explore more of this strange area.
Nulfyr places one of the stones in the northern statue. It silently moves to the right, exposing a short hallway behind it. There are two doors on opposite walls. The one to the left is a pair of double doors with simple handles, while the one on the right has an ornate clockwork locking mechanism keeping it shut. Nilfyr checks both doors, the simple door is silent on the other side, but a repetitive ticking sound can be heard on the other side of the clockworked door.
Nilfyr opens the door and...
... it's a library. Moldering tomes line shelves in this roomy, square chamber, and lie open on reading tables throughout the room. Another set of double doors is on the opposite side of the room.
Artemus doesn't find any traps, but he does detect several magical auras within a couple tomes; one is a blessed book, and one is a folded scroll of stone to flesh. Artemus also spies nearly two dozen tomes durable enough to remove and written in Azlanti that should fetch interest to the right historian or collector. Finally, one of the books has sigils representing the numbers 1-15 in Azlanti.
Nilfyr finds the other door is also unlocked and no signs of movement. The party readied as Artemus packs up the tomes, he opens the next door.
Crowded shelves and niches line the walls of this cozy room above worktables covered with crystal balls, elixirs, and other arcane paraphernalia. A short flight of stairs at the center of the east wall ascends into a perfectly spherical chamber of whitewashed stone. The room smells of old paper and fresh incense.
Artemus finds multiple magical auras, but he finds his concentration interrupted by an avian humanoid peering from the top of the spherical chamber. Its red feathers almost glow with radiant light and bears a staff in its hand as it spies the party below. It speaks in Azlanti, requesting, "Begone from this lair. Return from whence you came and do not come back. Ten thousand hears of study and research are almost complete and such an experiment must not be interrupted.", speaking in a logical, emotionless voice.
This is a jyoti, an outsider from the plane of Positive Energy. They naturally bear many healing and supportive powers thanks to their homeplane, but their xenophobic nature and distrust of the divine make them distrustful at best to others.
Thanks to their positive energy plane connection, they heal rapidly, are naturally resistant to magic, and can also breath or inflict fire with their weapons and touch.
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Responding in the same language Art expounds Well met noble jyoti. I am Artemus Jarm, Arcanist of this realm. My companions and I must explore this place and would seek to do so with your leave. Can you tell us more of this experiment? We would not wish to disrupt noble work. Who is the designer of the experiment? Can we talk with them?
The jyoti, with a blank look on its bird-like face, responds with a continued emotionless voice. "The legacy of Nhur Athemon is beyond your comprehension, mortal. He has almost mastered true rebirth, a true life after death. So glorious is his discovery that it called to me from my home." It points its staff at Artemus, finishing with, [b]"I have tried your mortal customer of 'asking nicely', but now you WILL leave, by force if I must."
The jyoti almost seems to expect the party returning. It did not expect, though, the sheer savagery of their attack: quick, efficient, and brutal. A pair of arrows softened it up before Thunderstealer and Belcher ripped into it, saurian claws sending feathers and blood everywhere. The creature falls to the ground, unmoving.
Artemus sees that the staff it held is magical; it is a staff of swarming insects, and fully charged at that. There is also a key around its neck, but to what it is unknown.
The entire spherical chamber also seems to radiate divination magic.
Meanwhile, back in the shelved room below, there are several more magicalitems including dust of appearance, an elixir of truth[/i], an elixir of vision, and a dark blue rhomboid ioun stone. Several crystal balls in the room, while not magical, do seem to be of value.
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This staff allows the summoning of insects. A potent weapon against opponents that are stationary. Shall I carry it, or would you like to Thunderstealer? Art goes about gathering up the rest of the things of worth, noting the dust and elixirs for what they are. He holds up the dark blue rhomboid ioun stone explaining This stone grants alertness. Who shall use it?
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This staff allows the summoning of insects. A potent weapon against opponents that are stationary. Shall I carry it, or would you like to Thunderstealer? Art goes about gathering up the rest of the things of worth, noting the dust and elixirs for what they are. He holds up the dark blue rhomboid ioun stone explaining This stone grants alertness. Who shall use it?
"I don't like bugs, you can carry the staff."
Artemus, spending some time in the spherical chamber and taking cues from the variety of divination items and texts in the room below, closes his eyes and focuses his thoughts. First, he thinks of Fort Inevitable and what at first seems like a memory of his last visit turns into something more: he sees the Citadel standing with Hellknights performing drills, and the blacksmith on the other side of town working steel.
Artemus then relaxes his inner gaze, zooming out and now spies much of the River Kingdoms from a birds' eye view. Trees billowng in the wind, a river caravan coursing down the Sellen River...