Through the door, the party sees a row of marble pillars of Sorshen supporting the ceiling of the curving hallway. The pillar closest to the door is missing its head.
As the party approaches, the heads of the statues animate and begin shooting paralytic bolts at the party. The party deals with them quickly, leaving a row of headless statues.
Rounding the hallway, the party finds An incredibly realistically rendered mural decorating an alcove. The painting depicts a grand assembly hall thronged with hundreds of adoring spectators focused on Sorshen who stands upon on a dais, arms outstretched as she addresses those gathered. Behind her, several nude men and women are chained between upright pillars.
Distracted by the mural, and by looking ahead, nobody notices that the floor in front of the mural is a delayed release trap floor that opens into a Spiked Pit!
The forward members of the party, continuing to scout forward, move over it safely, but it falls open as Kylee, Barkot, and Jasper pass and are examining the mural.
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Kylee just slowly shakes her head as she examines the mural. ”This woman was utterly obsessed with herself. Shallow.”. She steps in closer. ”Still, this is very nice brushwork, especially on these…OH!”
At that moment the floor gives way below her and Kylee gives a shriek of surprise as she plummets down. Fortunately she avoids being impaled, thanks in part to her magical armor, but she still suffers some nasty gashes along one thigh and one shoulder, not to mention a spreading bruise on her arm. One of the spikes has also slashed a ragged tear in her dress.
”Ow.” she says quietly through a wince.
"Oh, hey, Marble Sentinels! I read about those back at the Manor - wealthy Thassilonians used 'em as alarm systems... oh, that's not good."
"Hold up, guys - remember, the Heidmarch's husband pays good money for sketches of these old murals."
Barkot pulls out his journal and a pen, and moves closer for a better look. "You're right, Kylee, she's kind of ... WHOA!"
The oracle loses his journal and pen when he reflexively grabs for the edge of the pit as the floor drops out from under him, but he has time to recover as he floats slowly to the ground . He helps Kylee and Jasper up and checks their wounds, then retrieves his dropped possessions from the spiked floor of the pit.
"Hooo-kay. Let's see about getting out of here." He shucks off his backpack and rummages around until he finds a climbing kit, which he offers to Kylee. "Here, this'll help once the guys throw down a rope for us."
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"Thank you Barkot." says Kylee as the oracle helps her to her feet. "I suppose that could have been worse. One of those spikes could have gone through my head or something." She looks down and grimaces at the damage to her dress. She bats at the damaged fabric with one hand and then stands up straight again without further comment on it, looking up out of the pit.
"You know Barkot, I'm beginning to think that body of Sorshen we saw back by the entrance wasn't her dead body. Think about it. Would someone who obviously considered herself practically a living god, as Sorshen seemed to, go to all the trouble of setting up all these traps and alarms and guards, and then bury herself *outside* of them? It doesn't make sense. If this lair was a complex of her faithful, she'd bury herself with her riches and her trophies smack in the *middle* of such a place, preferably with about a thousand servants to wait on her corpse. That's what mad absolute potentates usually do. Especially if they're paranoid Azlanti wizards in rivalry with six other mad paranoid Azlanti wizards."
"I think that body was just a red herring, sprinkled with just enough jewels to make it believable. And coupled with a nasty trap for the same purpose. Though I still don't quite understand the bond it made with Paëral."
After the mural the hallway narrows and ends at a locked door.
Deric helps his allies out of the pit. "You guys should be more careful in here. And quieter too."
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Paëral lends a hand helping his friends out of the pit. Upon overhearing Kylee's conversation with Barkot about Sorshen, he feels a bit uncomfortable, especially when his bond is mentioned. At a time when he can catch her away from the others, he whispers to her...
After talking with Kylee, when the rest of the party is ready to move on, Paë will take point, moving ahead quietly with bow ready, keeping his eyes out for any recent signs of tracks or danger...
Deric grins at the elven cleric who weighs less than a minute. "Come on out of there Backalley. You need to lose some weight, my friend. Goodness. Hmmmph."
"C'mon Jasper."
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"Whatever this effect is, if you stay close to Barkot, his magic circle spell might help protect you. And there is another option. I can try to dispel the magical effect. It's a difficult ritual, and I can only manage it once a day, and to be honest I think my magical efforts stand slim chance against the spells of an archmage, even if they are millennia-old. And we might need my dispelling ritual somewhere else in this complex before this day is out. But I'm willing to try, if you wish. Just say the word."
Deric grins at the elven cleric who weighs less than a minute. "Come on out of there Backalley. You need to lose some weight, my friend. Goodness. Hmmmph."
[dice=strength] 1d20+6
"C'mon Jasper."
“Nothing I can do about that, I’m just big-boned.”
”The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.”
Deric moves behind Barkot even though he believes he would not produce anything detectable. He does take note of the elven lovebirds who should just get a room. He would clear one for them.
"Mystic Angel, we've had enough surprises today. Lemme figure out if there's anybody on the other side of this door."
Barkot faces the door, closes his eyes, and concentrates.
Barkot reaches out with Detect Thoughts and quickly senses that there are thoughts coming from the other side of the door and reports that.
You instinctively identify the persona as masculine, and impressive in a way that makes you want to defer. Before you realize what you are doing, you open your thoughts up to the presence.
You then hear a voice in your head. "Clever boy! I am impressed.". The praise fills you with a disturbing level of pride before the connection cuts off.
Deric
Paeral
???
Squint
Ulyi
Barkot
Jasper
Kylee
After hearing Barkot's report Deric stares at the tools in Paëral's hands.
The door suddenly opens, revealing a long hall, Opposite the door, a pair of columns carved to resemble Sorshen flank a fifteen-foot-wide alcove in the west wall. A mural of Sorshen standing atop a towering pyramid is painted on the wall of the alcove , but it, like the walls and floor of the hall, is splashed with blood.
A muscular humanoid form with the head and feet of a goat steps away from the doorway as it opens and grips its halberd, absentmindedly chewing on the tip of the weapon.
A second goat-headed creature steps forward, grabbing on to Paeral's arm.
In the back of the hall, stands tall, muscular man. A cloak draped over his shoulders frames a muscular bare chest, as he looks at the party with confidence. Raw sexual energy emanates from him and everyone can feel the effects to varying degrees. Those of you who find men attractive are drawn to him, the others want to be him, or perhaps to be his wingman.
Smiling, he locks eyes with Deric, as he gestures and says, "Good, you are here. This elf is in possession of the sword belonging to my mistress' consort. He must be questioned about this theft. Stop your friends from interfering while we do so."
The man's cloak lifts off of his shoulders, becoming two leathery wings and he flies toward the southern end of the hall out of view, motioning the goat-heads to follow.
The party has identified these creatures enough times to know that this is an incubus. The part knows that they are demons and are thus resistant to physical attacks and most elemental damage. Cold Iron or good aligned weapons will overcome the resistance.
Paeral
???
Deric
Squint
Ulyi
Barkot
Jasper
Kylee
"An understandable request. We are you neighbors, fine sir, and are here to introduce ourselves. Easy Pae, do not resist them."
Unsure after seeing Barkot’s reaction, Paëral will put away his tools and draw his bow…
”Bark…what’s going on?”
“Too clever for my own good. There’s somebody on the other side of the door, and I think...”
The door swings open, revealing another mural, blood splashed everywhere, goat-headed men...
What in the Hells are those?
... and an incubus.
“... we’re in big trouble.”
When Barkot realizes that Deric has fallen under his control, he stops worrying about the goat men.
“Oh, crap, here we go again. Hang on a sec. Kylee, can I ... no, that’s not gonna work. I can’t reach him, you can’t reach him... Let’s see... OK, got it.” The half-orc takes a deep breath, clears his throat, and calls out another prayer.
“Hey, boss, need you to put up another circle around the new gal - it’s good for her, but even more it’s that the big guy needs all the help he can get up there.”
“Deric, snap out of it, ya big sap!”
Barkot's words seem to bring Deric out of his spell. "Back with you, Backalley. Whew."
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“... we’re in big trouble.”
Kylee follows Barkot's gaze, looking to spot what's beyond the goat-men. When she gazes upon the incubus, her mouth falls open a little and her eyes follow the movements of his statuesque physique and the fluid power of his gestures. "Incubus..." she murmurs to herself. "They're very dangerous." Her fingers slowly rub the side of her neck, as is trying to calm her pulse.
“...Kylee, can I ... no, that’s not gonna work. I can’t reach him, you can’t reach him... Let’s see... OK, got it.” The half-orc takes a deep breath, clears his throat, and calls out another prayer.
At the sound of her name, Kylee's attention snaps back to Paëral being dragged from the hall by the goat-men with the apparent acquiescence of Deric.
"What?" she asks, in momentary confusion.
“Hey, boss, need you to put up another circle around the new gal - it’s good for her, but even more it’s that the big guy needs all the help he can get up there.”
As the divine energy settles about her, Kylee becomes more focused -- the way entering a building and shutting the door will muffle and drive off the whirr of cicadas.
"We're too stacked up in this hallway. Ulyi, can you push them back?"
Barkot knows the goat heads to be Schir demons. Their resistances are similar to all other demons, and their spittle can cause disease. As they are habitually chewing on their weapons, the same disease coats those.
Barkot calls out what he knows about the Schir demons. "Cold iron if you got it, people, and watch out for those goat guys. You can catch some bad stuff from their slobber, and if they don't get you after licking their own weapons - I mean, yuck - they'll spit at you from a distance."
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Kylee frowns. "This won't do." she says.
She holds up her hands on either side of her, palms outward.
"Mistress of Morning, mighty are you and holy are your instruments.
In your Light is all Truth understood
In your Light is all Goodness nourished
In your Light is all Beauty warmed..."
As she speaks, her hands begin to glow with strange runes. Spidery threads of luminescence snake grow outward in circular constructs, etching ever more complex glyphs and strange geometries, all the while sputtering and sparking with fire. Smoke rises from her hands.
"Dispel this magic from your servant, let him walk free in the sunlight of his own will!"
She suddenly brings her hands together in a loud clap. The strange symbols of light disappear from her hands, and the broken shards instead fly away from Deric and disappear like sparks drifting from a campfire.
Deric is no longer charmed.
"Release him! If we have something that belongs to you, it shall be yours again. We do not wish you any harm."
Deri Sheathes his greatsword
The Schir demon is badly shaken ... by Deric's claim that he means it no harm.
Paeral
Red Schir
Blue Schir
Incubus
Deric
Squint
Ulyi
Barkot
Jasper
Kylee
Blue does not fall in the pit, and Paeral is able to break free from the demon.
"Demons? Demons! The world is full of demons! That is why we need Oblivion! The End Time will purge all the demons."
Red steps forward, pulls out its halberd and slashes at Deric.
With no good way to get involved in the fight, Blue simply moves away from the pit.
Meanwhile, a burst of laughter from the incubus cuts off suddenly, then starts up again as the demon appears behind Ulyi, standing on the ground with his scimitar at the ready.
Paeral
Red Schir
Blue Schir
Incubus
Deric -6
Squint
Ulyi
Barkot
Jasper
Kylee
"Barkot can you boneshake this guy away from me?"