As they proceed down the steps Bugsby cannot suppress a shudder from shaking his entire frame. Trying to be brave, "Fairly chilly down here, heh heh." The tiniest of squeaks passes his lips as Kerdin takes his head-over-heels tumble, and he gets to the bottom in time to see Virgil press a hand to the dwarf and the cuts and scrapes begin to fade, almost entirely. Bugsby quickly wills his gift closer in time to see an intense brightness fading from Virgil's hand. Putting a finger to his lower lip and tapping rhythmically, I'll have to ask him about that sometime, absolutely fascinating!
Looking up the gnome issues the second squeak in as many minutes, the ugly and terrifying visage of some demonic figure illuminated by the various light sources.
Upon seeing the statue, Bugsby unconsciously sidles closer to a larger member of the group. He quickly gathers some lines of energy from the air around him and gathers them together in his hands, once he's satisfied at the amount he rubs his hands quickly over his head and torso, like he's brushing dirt off his person. As he finishes a greenish tinged shell pulses briefly about his torso before fading quickly from view.
With all of this complete he relaxes, somewhat, and tries to watch everywhere at once.
Everyone but Virgil and Brennan turns around and gets the hell out of there. It turns into a shoving match to get each other out of the way.
Anyone watching you sees you all come barreling out of the stairs and a certain few of you screaming at the top of your lungs. Some of you may or may not need a change of underwear, too.
*all the upper deckers are all frightened - which basically means you take a -2 to pretty much everything...* You can swear that the statues eyes flickered red... But maybe that was a trick of the light...
Virgil and Brennan you are shaken for 1 round, but do not run away what do you do? Do you call up to everyone else, or do you wait?
Everyone else, you are cowering up on the island for a good 30 seconds before you can come out of it. You are still frightened, even after you gain control.
Frightened is like shaken, except that the creature must flee if possible
His eyes barely make it to the sight of the statue before his mind leaves him. Taking three steps at a time Iodem quickly makes it back up and out of the doorway before wondering what happened. His hands trembling he places them on his knees and tries to regain his breath. He manages to muster a faint "what?"
Brennan stared at the statue, and his minds started to gibber. Then, all at once, everyone started shouting. Some were screaming, others yelling in excitement. The cacophony in his head snapped Brennan out of it, and though he still felt a little shaken by the sheer evilness of the statue, he stood his ground.
As the others ran for the stairs, he turned and called out "It's only a statue. A little creepy, sure, but still..." The others paid him no heed, and he just shrugged at Virgil.
Brennan looked upwards once more, searching for his fleeing companions, and then said "I guess we'll just poke around then.". Peering at the doors, he examines both very carefully.
Since we have the time, take 20 (26) to search each door.
As you search the doors, they don't seem to be locked or trapped.
Bugsby turned and ran as if his life depended on it. It was difficult to stifle the depression that threatened to overwhelm him as the larger folks quickly out distanced him up and out. As soon as he cleared the door and saw Iodem bent over, the gnome ran behind him and covered his eyes with his hands. "Those eyes! I've never seen eyes like that before..." His voice is quaking with terror, and as it slowly subsides he removes his hands from his eyes, blinking in the sudden sunlight. Looking around at the others up on top, "Uhh, where's Brennan and Virgil?"
Running quickly over to the top of the stairs, not quite ready to venture down, Bugsby yells, "Hey! Are you alive down there? Did the statue get you!?" Even as he yells the words he considers them, The statue didn't really come to life did it? Those eyes almost seemed to flicker with an inner light... didn't they? Wiping a hand down his face, he tries again, "Hello!?"
Kerdin run as fast as he could out back to outside. Out Kerdin begins to breath in deep and hard sessions, wondering what the hell happened down there. Grabbing his axe with both of his hands and getting back down to find out what happened to the rest of people
So the two groups meet up again, as Kerdin goes down stairs (on his feet this time) and the rest follow.
"What happened? Looking to the two fellows who remained in the room, "Why didn't you run? Why did we run for that matter!?" His curiosity was also piqued as he noticed Brennan snooping about one of the doors, "Find anything interesting?" It might be subconscious, but Bugsby gives the statue a wide berth, avoiding even looking in it's direction.
"If I had to guess, I would say this obviously horrific and demonic statue was evil. That is likely the source of your terror. Would you mind checking it to see if it has a magical aura?"
"We didn't run because we have more sense than to run from a statue." Brennan said, as he turned his attention to his companions once more. "And you ran because...well, it would be uncharitable for me to say aloud. As for anything interesting, just a pair of doors. One leads to the depths of hell and the other to a treasure room. but there's no way to know which is which until you open it." Brennan then tuned his attention to the statue.
Bugsby pouts a little at Brennan's not-so-subtle slight, "That thing is, is, a very bad statue!" Listening further, "Well then give me a moment and you can make sure the doors aren't evil too!" Bugsby focuses on the each set of doors, trying to study them and the area's beyond for lines of magic.
Nodding his assent to Virgil, Bugsby concentrates on the statue for several moments, focusing on the lines of magic which become easily apparent to his senses when he allowed them to - rather than the demonic eyes which caused his insides to turn to jelly.
Whoops. I guess I'll have to update my master :)
There are no traps, on any of the statues or the doors. The statue doesn't appear to be magical, neither do the doors.
Spending a little more time in front of the statue than the doors, Bugsby looks perplexed, "I'm unable to sense any magic on or beyond the doors," Bugsby clears his throat and half turns to the statue, "The statue... has no active magic aura anymore, but... there is a stain or residue almost, of powerful magic still upon the thing. I'm glad I never had to see the full power that resided in it at its peak, it was a formidable power at one time."
Virgil shrugs. "Then I suppose we need to pick a door." He looks to the doors-and-traps expert for guidance.
Bugsby suggests the eastern door, and offers some thoughts as to a logical, safe method to breach the portal, and it just so happens that he is quite distant from the doors in his plan. "Be careful Kerdin, there may be, uhh, ...more bad statues in there."
I'm not with the map, so I'm just going t that east means "top",
you find a study with books, and pictures.. Many of the books contain pictures of flying creatures.. Mold covers the entrance.
You can make another knowledge religion or planes check.
Brennan mentioned that the doors didn't seem to be trapped - not from this side anyways, and stood back as the dwarf forced open one door. He looked in the study with interest, poking around and looking for any hiding places.
"No more statues?" Iodem peers around Brennan's shoulder keeping a half step back looking trying to look over the same places.
Bugsby doesn't bother to hide his disapointment, "I was expecting a torture chamber, or viscious bats at least!" He does take the time to look around the chamber, and some of the books.
Knowledge (religion)
"You know... I'm not certain, but there's a chance this might be related to some outer planar creature."
You realize that it is Pazuzu related. The same god as the statue outside in the main chamber.
You aren't really sure what to make of it all, though.
That's about it for this room (pending any other knowledge checks that give you more, of course).
What is the marching order?
(Not that I need to know for any reason specifically.... ;) )
argh, what ya lads waiting for? Those doors wont open themselves ya know Kerdin sighs and goes towards next door to open it
Ok, everyone make a will save.
Will save
Brennan's Will save:
Zen's Will save:
Lol!
He says, to nobody in particular (possibly reading the words he is writing aloud): "Pharasma protect me! But she fails me even so! Even in the beyond life he won't leave me be! Someone, help me. I can feel him... Feel him, trying to own me again. Everywhere I go, he ... won't ... let ... me ...
Just ... let ... me ... be ...
Then you hear in faster paced talk "Gottobestronger, in case he comes. Hewillcome, healwayscomes. He will...come.
Suddenly he isn't there anymore. You see Bugsby looking at you cautiously.
"WHO WILL COME‽ AGAIN‽ Dideveryoneelseseethat‽"The color is gone from Iodem's face as he keeps jumbling words and looking side to side; reflexively his bow is drawn and arrow knocked.
A second passes, he catches his breath and very subduedly expresses.
"That was Stoot" He looks at the floor listening for anything else.
"It was Jervas Stoot. Crying madly that "he" will come. Apparently to take possession of his faculties or actions. Could it be that Stoot was possessed and did not act of his own accord in committing those murders?"
Bugsby finds himself near the back of the group, once again, as they approach and open the next set of doors. The others in the group all freeze as the doors are opened, staring intently at... something! Bugsby takes a step to the side to try and see around Kerdin, inadvertently moving closer to Iodem with the movement, "What are you all looking--" At that moment Iodem let loose, howling questions in the empty air. Bugsby resembled a startled cat for just a moment, jumping straight up, arms and legs akimbo, gaining some impressive altitude for a gnome. Landing awkwardly on his behind, Bugsby looks up at Iodem and then Virgil, listening in bewilderment at the bizarre behavior of the others. "What are you about!? Where is Stoot, and what exactly is coming or was coming and taking him over?" Bugsby looks confused, looking around the room and at his (apparently) demented companions. "I think this place is affecting our minds, because you all are acting possessed!"
"We saw him, Stoot. Did you not? Perhaps their is truth in the haunt, he definitely spoke in the present. He cried for Pharasma's protection and how he was being called to... how he was being owned again. " Iodem relaxes the draw of the bow a bit while eyeing over the rest of the room.
Perception
"My guess would be by that...thing in the statue in the outer chamber. I mean, everyone said the man was obsessed by birds, right? And this Pachuku, or whatever, looked to be a bird god-demon thing."
You find a journal of stoots and some personal works of his, and they all date up to about the same timeframe.
He kept a pretty regular day to day journal. A lot of it having to deal with his unruly past (beaten as a child, and worse) and it is quite clear that the way that he would cope with this is by making these bird statues, and by being with the birds.
"They calm me, the way they glide above land, as if they don't have a care in the world" he writes on many occasions. "Oh, if I could be a bird and fly away from this life."
"But until I do, I shall stay here and share the beauty of the birds with those around me."
He writes almost daily up until the day after a specific night... The night of the nightmares.
"Hmm..."
Virgil continues reading.
Cursing and swearing now at the illusions Damn this! I aint na scared of da ghost and stupid statues!!!! Kerdin raises his axe and start to pillage around the room, mashing and slashing at all statues he finds (plus the big one they saw first time)