"We will wait here then to see my brethren drag your lifeless bodies into the jungle to be scraps for vermin outside!", the kobold defiant despite otherwise accepting the defeat.
[spoiler=DC 15 Sense Motive]
Despite the bravado, the kobold leader of the snipers seems pleased that his ally was saved.
Looking through the other room, the party sees a haphazardous pile of rubble against the bulging door, which would lead to danger opening it. Otherwise, the party finds nothing of interest.
Looking at the dragon head in the back, it is indeed set to be a trap that fires crossbow bolts. Oddly, someone has disabled it previously; it can be repaired with some effort and supplies.
The only exit is a pair of double doors to the west.
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Shasta can cast CLW's so she could take the wand and keep it for use in battle to save her some 1st level spell casting. She can't use the other two wands without resorting to UMD (which she can do at +7). She would like one of the spider climb potions, since that might enable her to get to a good vantage point from which to disable a device or otherwise support the group.
She suggests we lock the kobolds in a room if they're not going to skedaddle. We should also hide their weapons.
Shasta has no special preparations for going into the next section, except to ready her whip.
Who has the dingus we got from the Grippli? Have we analyzed it yet to determine if we know how it is supposed to be used?
Would it be a spellcraft or Knowledge (Arcana) to determine the function of the dingus? Shasta can take 20 on the Knowledge (Arcana) giving her a result of 28, if we think that would help.
@Shasta: You both tried to identify the item before. You got a resonating transmutation aura with a hint of abjuration. Your spellcraft will get you that the abjuration seems to be more of a preserving magic to keep the "dingus" in good shape despite age.
There is no information, though, on how it is to be used against the Guardian.
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Shasta will give the doors a close look for traps and also will listen to see if there's any detectable activity on the other side.
If she doesn't see traps, she'll suggest someone else (Wyeth or Hakime?) check as well and she'll even play some music to look for traps by (Inspire competence), knowing how well these guys like their traps.
Shasta finds no traps on the door. Listening to the other side, she finds it eerily quiet.
The door is unlocked and Shasta opens it with ease. She is started by just five feet from the door, a granite statue of a human woman stands in a running pose. The head of the statue is turned to look over her shoulder, her face locked in a silent scream.
This is a statue of a Keleshite woman.
The gear is typical of Aspis Consortium scouts of the Mwangi Expanse.
The anguish in the statue's face is too real and her features are disturbingly lifelike.
The terror in the statue makes you think of some creatures, particularly magical beasts that can petrify victims.
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"Well that is not good. Looks like something down here can turn you to stone. Try and avoid looking anything in the eye."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Knowledge (Local): Take 10. 10 + 8 = 18
Knowledge (Arcana) or (Nature): Take 10. 10 + 8 = 18
Shasta gives a startled, "Oh! Hello!" Then she stands quietly studying the statue and the halls beyond before taking a pair of smoked goggles she wears around her neck and placing them over her eyes. Then she says, "She looks Kelish, but I've noticed similar canteens, belt pouches, and daggers on the belts of Aspis Consortium agents. Probably a scout. Unless there is an eccentric sculptor down here, I think Gob is correct. Got these goggles in Osirion. They're meant for dealing with the bright sun, but the dealer said they also made it harder to be affected by creatures whose gaze can do this sort of thing to you. Of course, it might also just be a wizard or sorcerer who knows the spell."
The party peers into the closest room. The reek of dung and sweat permeates this small room. Heaped in a corner, there is a pile of cement pellets, and in another corner lies a grotesque, stuffed leather bag with two oval patches sewn on it.
You notice many bite marks on the leather satchel... the same as a dog would for a chew toy.
The pile of cement pellets is actually dung.
Those are basilisk droppings.
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Shasta casts a light cantrip on the front of her buckler. When she wants to be stealthy, she will turn the light side back into her stomach and cover it with her cloak to prevent the light from generally calling attention to the group. She does need it to see, however, so she will generally let someone with darkvision do initial look-see's, only bringing it to bear once she receives the all clear to do so.
Takes 10: Knowledge (Nature) 10 + 8 = 18
For knowledge of the beastie.
"Looks like the guardian may have a pet basilisk." Shasta kicks the "cement pellets" for an indication of her evidence. "This is basilisk scat. Might make interesting sling pellets."
She sets her smoked goggles on her forehead, hangs her whip on her belt, and draws "Clanky's Arm" (her masterwork club), and uses it to nudge the sack and try see what kind of things are in it based on the mass and such and checking it for traps. "Teeth marks on this thing. Looks like spot has a chew-toy."
If it looks okay, she'll open it to see what is in it.
Shasta and Aspex inspect the sack; its contents are just stuffing, albeit with a foul odor from being moistened and dried repeatedly over time like that of a pup slobbering over a toy.
The sack craftsmanship is that of kobold design.
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Shasta pulls out a die that she uses when she gambles and holds it up. "My nickname is 'Lucky.' So we'll let luck determine which way we go, unless someone wants to take the lead." She looks down both halls. "Evens we go that way," she points north, "Odds we go that way," she points west.
She takes a deep breath and rolls the die on the floor at her feet.
"Sinashakti has spoken."
She pockets the die, puts her goggles back over her eyes and moves west and waits for the burly types with good armor or defenses take the lead. She puts the club back on her belt and readies her whip again.
@Aspex: It is definitely unusual for anyone other than perhaps medusae to keep basilisks as pets.
Shasta moves down the western corridor. With her light, she can make out what appears to be a pile of rubble far down the end. Immediately adjacent to her is a closed door. No audible noise can be heard from the other side.
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Assuming we don't want anything dangerous behind us, Shasta will point to the first closed door and indicate she will open it but let others be the first into the room. If she gets no objections, she will open the door and do the initial look-see, in case a basilisk is in the room. If nothing alarming is noticed, she'll let more perceptive eyes check for traps and such before she enters.
Shasta unveils the door and, seeing nothing moving or potentially dangerous, opens it thoroughly for the others' eyes.
Animal hides and furs have been laid out on the six dwarf-sized stone beds in this room. A crude set of dice lies scattered on the floor. A number of weapons have been stashed in a pile to the north.
Only three of the beds look slept in recently.
Gob finds that there is a single magical object in the room; a human-sized longsword partially buried in the mass of kobold-sized weapons.
@Gob: It is a +1 longsword, but there is another property that is undefined to you. You do notice that on the hilt of the blade you see the Glyph of the Open Road emblazoned on the bottom.
The Glyph is the symbol of the Pathfinder Society. It is used decoratively, but there are other locations where it is used as a key, design inspiration, or more. The good number of the Pathfinder Society offered wayfinders will have it engraved on them.
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Shasta will examine the sword using Detect Magic.
Identify:
"This could be Sparrowsmith's," Shasta adds. She normally uses a MWK longsword, so if no one else needs the magical boost, she will gladly use this longsword while we are exploring the area. However, the whip will be the weapon she keeps ready when looking into rooms, etc.
Shasta puts on her smoked goggles again and once the search of the room is complete, moves on the next.
Shasta peeks over the corner, a sense of dread as she senses something along the next hallway. She quickly turns and spies a large fountain, the center of which is a white marble statue of a dwarf in scholarly robes that faces east in a defiant posture. In one hand, the dwarf holds a staff, and in the other an open book. While it appears that the statue's elaborate details are still intact, its face has crumbled away, and water pours down from two holes where the statues eyes had once been.
She also sees two more doors, and at least two more passageways, too.
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Shasta says, "Looks like an old fountain made by the dwarves." Then she creeps up the hall as quietly as she can until she can get a better view of the room with the fountain.
As she walked, she lost her footing when she stepped on a bit of debris, sending her sideways into the wall and her buckler clanged against the stone. "Opps."
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If the fountain room is devoid of dangerous creatures, Shasta suggests by pointing that they check behind the door off the entry hall before going further into the complex. She remains by that door while others check for dangers in the fountain area. She will lift her goggles and check for traps on the door while she is waiting.
The fountain area is indeed devoid of dangerous creatures. Looking over the adjacent door, Shasta finds that it is not trapped. She can also get a whiff of incense coming from the doorline.
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Shasta calls for everyone's attention with gestures first to be quiet. Then she points to the door and then to her nose and does an exaggerated inhale. She speaks quietly, "I smell incense." She completes her message by miming the opening of the door to make sure others are ready. When others are ready, she opens the door.
As soon as Shasta opens the door, the incense smell is nearly overpowering. This room has several shelves full of jars and vases of different sizes. Three kobolds like motionless in stone beds.
The three kobolds are dead.
The herbs and liquids in the jars are alchemical substances intended for religious purposes.
There are three jars that have a lizard's head on the labels that stand out, filled with a thick, rusty red gel.
The jar's contents are an alchemical extract of basilisk blood; this stuff will undo the petrification of anyone recently (1 hour give or take) turned to stone by a basilisk as if it were coated in fresh basilisk blood.
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Knowledge (Religion): Take 10 = 10 + 8 = 18
Knowledge (Arcana): Take 10 = 10 + 8 = 18
Shasta peers into the room through her smoked goggles, looking for creatures that might turn her into stone first. Spotting nothing moving, she shifts the goggles up onto her forehead and looks again, in case she missed something.
Seeing the kobolds on the stone beds, she gestures for quiet and begins to stealthily pad into the room, whip at the ready until she gets close enough to see that they are dead. "All clear."
She looks about the room for interesting stuff as the others join her. "Looks like an alchemy lab," she says as she spots various powders and liquids. Looking closer, she remembers the rituals the group interrupted during the first visit to the site. "I'm no alchemist, but I have read enough lore to recognize some of these, most of them really, as things traditionally used in religious rituals: purification powders and things meant to curry favor with the gods, like all this incense."
She's about to move on, but something catches her eye and she gives some jars a second, closer look. She pulls down three with a thick red gel and an image of a lizard head on the label. She cautiously loosens the lid and smells it and tilts the liquid around.
"Hmmmf. I do believe we've got an extract of basilisk blood here. According to Telecovski's research, this stuff can reverse petrification, provided it is applied promptly." She pockets one and hands one to Wyeth and another to Gob or Aspex.
"We could try it on the woman in the hall and see if she can be restored, although that would only work if she were stoned within the past hour or so."