Cyrus smiles at the joyful reunion between Tough and Natasza, then looks to Kobad. "One to go. Let's bring Nadya through." he states.
After a few trips down to the first level and back the party is happily reunited. In making these ventures you quickly learn that the ice key found on your latest opponent has no effect when taken into the portal. None the less the original key continues to serve it's function.
Taking a few minutes to collect yourselves, and the gear from the fallen woman, those who have just arrived note that the room is dominated by a long curved table with many chairs about it. Two large mirrors serve to make the room seem even larger and reflect the impressive view granted by the windows along the western wall. Doorways lead out of the room to the north and south while a short hallway heads east. It in turn has doors that lead north, south and east with the southern door ajar.
The rooms Irrisen styled decor is rather shockingly disturbed by the signs of recent violence. Blood stands out starkly against the icey floor and walls. In addition to the blond woman in the hall, the body of a familiar looking fey woman lays on the eastern side of the table while the tiny body of a winged fey creature rests broken upon the floor near the hall. Droguk rests upon one of the chairs with a myriad of grievous injuries apparent.
"What's happened here?" Nadya asks after appearing in one of the alcoves. "Droguk are you ok?"
Taking his first good look at his friend, Cyrus immediately retrieves the healing potion they just retrieved from their enemy, offering to the barbarian. "Bottoms up, my friend. You look like you need it."
"What's happened here?" Nadya asks after appearing in one of the alcoves. "Droguk are you ok?"
"No, Lady of the Tent, I am not," he answers flatly. "No matter, only death will stop me, do not fear. And I believe this was the fey demon that we met on the road, was she not?" He motions toward the blue fey. "She is now dead. Along with another of her fey kind, yet, it was far smaller. There was another of the small ones, but it has gotten away. I would gather to alert the others of its kind."
Droguk looks to the ranger a moment before taking the vial from him. Nodding in thanks, he drinks it, feeling at least a small portion of the pain ebbing away.
"I am sorry, I cannot offer any kind of healing, my large friend. Nature is fickle, but maybe it will hear my plea in the morning, as many of you are wounded.."
The people around her might not be entirely sure if she is talking to Droguk or Tough, as she seems to consider them the same.
Frowning visibly when he sees the wounds still covering Droguk, Cyrus fishes through his backpack to look for any other healing agents he may have. After a moment, he pulls three of the vials out of a side pocket.
"Here are all the healing potions we have remaining. Take as many as you need, Droguk." he offers, extending the stoppered bottles to him.
"Fireborn, look at this cloak, and aid me in determining wether it's harmful or beneficial to don it." Natasza says, without blinking or taking her gaze of the thing.
Nadya takes a closer look at the fallen forlarren, "Yes, I recognize her as well. She was the songstress we met on our way back to Waldsby.
"Hold a moment, Landwarden. There is one more that was found upon the False Giant Woman. I will take that one... keep those for the others. We are going to need them."
As he drinks, many more of his wounds start to heal up nicely. "That will do."
Nadya takes a closer look at the fallen forlarren, "Yes, I recognize her as well. She was the songstress we met on our way back to Waldsby.
Turning to Nadya as he discards the empty vial upon the floor, "She did not need to die but she left me no choice. She immediately attacked along with the smaller ones, instead of attempting to speak peacefully. She chose wrongly."
"I somehow get the feeling very few of the people we encounter here are going to be in the mood for talking...though I honestly hope I am wrong."
** spoiler omitted **
"Fireborn, look at this cloak, and aid me in determining wether it's harmful or beneficial to don it." Natasza says, without blinking or taking her gaze of the thing.
Kobad sits down beside Hatasza, with a little bit of a sigh he says a few words and his eyes alight and his pupils dance like a flame. Let me look.
Seeing no difference in any of their choices, Cyrus goes to the southern door. Sword tight in hand, he readies himself and then kicks the door the rest of the way open.
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Sensing Cyruses intent Nadya rises from inspecting the bards corpse and steps into the hall. She takes a position along the northern side and readies her bow.
In the wake of Cyrus kicking in the door you are able to clearly see into the room and find that it is a library of some sort. Floor to ceiling bookshelves line the walls of the sprawling chamber. An ornate wooden table, covered with open texts and lit candles, and six chairs sit in the middle of the room. Two massive mirrors hang on the walls, one to the southeast and the other to the west. Doors lead out of the room to the southwest and east. The eastern of which stands slightly ajar.
"Hmph. Anticlimactic entrance..." The ranger mumbles. Keeping a wary eye on the open door in the room, he enters cautiously, making his way over to the mirrors in the room with the intent of shattering them as Droguk had done earlier.
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Cyrus enters and uses the pummel of his sword to shatter both mirrors. In both cases the glass cracks and falls to the floor in great shards which further shatter on the ice. After a the brief cacophony the room falls silent again.
Droguk walks into the room behind the others and watches the ranger destroy the mirrors. Moving to the table, he peers at the books upon it curiously.
Glancing at the books on the table you find that they cover a variety of languages only some of which you can read. Quickly skimming those you can read you find that they seem to be about the history of the area. In one of the tomes you can't descipher you see a word, or perhaps a name, repeated multiple times "Auburphex".
Kobad eventually makes his way into the room, pretty sure there is no critters or guards to be dealt with.
he joins Droguk at the books examining them himself to see what he can make of them.
"I know nothing of this. Would any of you know the meaning of 'Auburphex'?" he asks, looking to the others.
"Nope." is all Natasza says.
Cyrus considers the word for a few moments but it fails to raise any recollections.
"Let us go through this door and see where it leads us."
Cyrus nods, keeping a sure and ready grip on his weapon. "It's as good a path as any."
Pushing open the eastern door you find a curved room not unlike the dining room on the western side of the tower. A red carpet extends from a door on the western side, which you would assume leads to the hallway you recently exited, runs between ice sculptures of twin nymphs and ends at an open alcove to the east. A passageway to the north mirrors one to the south. Through the windows you can see the courtyard far below. As with the dining room, multiple large mirrors reflect the view and add the illusion of size to the room.
"More mirrors. I hate all these mirrors. And there are more doors to choose from. Always more doors. Unless we can determine if the tiny fey creature went through the north door, I say we go south. But truthfully... I do not care. It is possible we are going to have to try them all, if that is what it takes." He then double checks the room for anything that might appear suspicious.
Natasza is getting confused, and agrees with the path the hairy human suggests. She just wants to get out, and doesn't like to be in the winter palace of the ice queens.
"Lead the way, scarred one." is all she says in between mumbles to Tough.
Gripping his axe a little tighter, Droguk's eyes narrow. "The ice statues are our enemy. Ready yourselves!" he warns the others. He then glances back and forth, taking a step nearer the north one and readying himself to strike at it if his hunch is correct.
"Trying them all is likely a better idea, regardless. Just to make sure there is no one left to try and take us from behind." Cyrus adds.
The statues stand cold and immobile.
Droguk raises an eyebrow and then looks to the other one a moment before turning back. "I do not trust the ice statues. Remain wary. And that is another gate to somewhere," he motions toward the icy floor along the east wall. "Our options have increased. We now have the choice in using one of the ice keys or moving through one of the doors. This place is bringing great irritation upon me."
"What are wze waiting for, Scars? Start smashing them statues! We don't have to wait for them to make the first move, do we?"
Natasza's eyes are shifty, going from left to right?
Droguk looks to Natasza and then looks back to the statue. He brings his axe back and is just about to swing before, "What if I am wrong?" he asks, holding his swing. "What if the ice statues are those that are imprisoned within ... and not an enemy? I am... unsure."
Cyrus frowns, approaching one or two of the statues to examine them more closely. Perhaps a facial expression or some other indicator will give them more information about should they be friend or foe.
Looking more closely at the statues you note that while the artistry is indeed impressive they lack the fine detail you'd expect to see in a polymorphed creature.
"I don't think they're something frozen in ice, at the least...I suppose they could be some kind of frozen elemental or something, maybe...regardless, they don't have the level of detail you should find in a real entity that had simply been encased in ice. As far as I can tell it really is just a statue."
Droguk lowers his axe and looks toward the ranger. "Very well. Let us move on then." Droguk heads toward the northern door and opens it barring any objections.
Kobad moves into the room by Cyrus, well what have we discovered in here? he asks, knowing that Droguk and Cyrus most likely explored much of the room.
The northern door leads to a long curved hallway. The two doors and additional teleportation alcove that lead out of the hall seem to mock the Kellids earlier irritation.
"For Desna's sake...I'm all for new pathways, but this place is a maze!"
Droguk sighs. He then moves and opens the double doors to the south.