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"I would not mind eternal life, or some facsimile thereof as might be the case, but the condition of eternal service casts a most unfavorable light upon the whole thing - also, Master Badru, you are now going about your entreaty most stupidly, and that I find most dissuasive of all!"
The lightning bolt hits Sihir head-on, and while now smoking and in obvious pain, he seems to nonetheless have withstood the powerful blast bizarrely well.
"Oof! I can't catch a break, can I?..."
Riddywhipple emerges from the cloud with a streak of charred dragon flesh.
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"Eee! Riddy!" Cirri can't really see it, but she knows something has gone wrong.
"Out of my way, Deyno. That thing has no regard for free will. I will break it myself with or without your help."
"I said OUT OF MY WAY!" Cirri decides to subdue Denyo with nonlethal staff strikes.
"Turn around so we can end that thing."
Cirri runs through the cloud, right up to Badru and gives him what for!
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Watts seems so distraught by Badru's infallible argument that he is unable act with his usual precision.
Badru is rather dismissive of Sihir's admonishment. "When you have had as long as I have to consider my service, you will come to understand."
Round 3:
Badru (-87)
Yanndu (Invisible)
Ramesses
Sihir
Watts
Deyno (Pending Will saves and Ref Save)
Cirri (Schrodinger's actions declared)
Riddlywhipple
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Yanndu vanishes from sight as Watts and Ramesses converge on Badru and team up to try to tear the construct apart, however it's strong construction and protective wardings leave both of them unable to land a solid strike. Deyno begins to tear apart Cirri, causing massive wounds but something churns in his mind... something is clearly wrong here...
He seems to snap out of it, as he stands over Cirri, looking at the blood covering his hands in confusion.
Badru carefully begins to weave a sigil in the air and chants, taking care not to expose himself to unnecessary danger.
Considering the situation, he aborts the spell, letting the energies dissipate, rather than reach too close to Ramesses' waiting blade.
Round 4:
Badru (-87)
Yanndu (-14, Invisible)
Ramesses (-3 Con)
Sihir (-12)
Watts (+13)
Deyno (+8)
Cirri (-39)
Riddlywhipple (-15)
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After more half formed statement the tengu gives up on a convincing Badru. Given a proper time and place Watts could give a powerful argument to win a debate, but when he thinks of anything that might rattle the long time servant of the sages to a new way of thinking in the heat of battle, nothing coherent forms. With that he focuses on the fight at hand.
"I'm afraid I will not allow you to make that decision for any of us!"
Watts pushes forward with a set of attacks trying to limit Bardu's movements while trying to attack the less armored portions of the construct.
"Not yet, fair Cirri. Maybe your allies will crush him into a tin can before we're done."
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Watts chips away at Badru's exterior as Deyno furiously, but inaccurately, slashes with his arcing claws.
"This hardened exterior can also be yours. Resistance to time, and wear and tear... Anyone dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge would not hesitate given this opportunity. You clearly are no such people."
Round 4:
Badru (-92)
Yanndu (-14, Invisible)
Ramesses (-3 Con)
Sihir (-12)
Watts (-1 Con +13)
Deyno (+8)
Cirri (-39)
Riddlywhipple (-15)
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"Yeah, clearly I don't want to spend the rest of eternity stuck in an unfeeling shell. How do you smell a bouquet of flowers? How do you feel the warmth of a summer breeze on the beach? H-h-how do you feel someone's hand when you walk with a loved one?"
"All you've done is surrendered your life in exchange for a hellish eternity where you kill and kill and research until the multiverse collapses."
Cirri slams her staff. "You're already dead, you just don't know it yet."
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"Now, now, shall we not all be courteous?" Calls out Sihir's voice. Nearly as strange as that admonishment under the circumstances is the fact that the little magician is nowhere to be seen...and when Badru hears it, it sounds less like a polite invitation and more like an ungodly shriek!
[dice=ear-piercing scream, DC 18, vs Badru]4d6[/dice]
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Sihir and Yanndu both focus their deadly magics on the construct but neither are able to penetrate it's defenses. Finally Ramesses, furious about his manipulation, swings down hard twice with his greatsword. The first blow makes a screeching sound as it rends the construct open, but the second simply makes a loud thud as it fails to pierce. Nevertheless, when the dust settles, Badru's motionless body lies on the ground before you... a pale purple glow emanating from his chest.
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She relaxes a bit and continues. "That which I seek and that which you seek are ends to the same means. Three things I seek, one now, one soon, and one when the first two are complete. The second is what you ask, the first is what you will need, and the third will be mine when all is complete."
A more serious expression crosses her face and she begins to speak, no longer in riddles but in declarations.
"You seek the library below, which is sealed and naught but the power of the sage jewel that sealed it may unseal it. Seek out the acolyte of Amethyst sage. His form has been brought into being by such power, and this power may again reclaimed."
"That glow... I think this is what Saruna wanted us to find. How do we collect it?"
Cirri pulls out her wand. "Uh, can someone use this wand on me? Denyo's claws are really sharp."
And another wand turns to dust.
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"I'm not entirely certain, I'm not sure if I've encountered anything of this sort before."
Recalling through experience and his many references Watts tries to identify the glow and how to best collect it.
"I am somewhat disappointed in being forced to fight him. Could have stood to learn much from him if he were willing. His conceit and unwavering belief in his truth reminded me how I was in years past. Feels so naive now reflecting on it. I will admit to not wishing to give his statements a fair debate, I am personally far attached to both my body and mortality."
"Which does remind me of the issue of lingering poison. Ramesses, the poison injured me slightly, but it is not much stronger than most the poisons I consume. I'm more concerned about any effect it may have on yourself. I have a wand here to repair your injury if you are able to use it."
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Ramesses breathes a quick sigh of relief, then immediately begins to dry heave, trying to catch his breath.Ack..that poison was stronger than hmph...I expected. Here Cirri, I’ll use that on you. Oh thanks Watts let me give that a try.
Much better, thanks friend! Ramesses hands the wands back to Cirri and Watts, and places an arm on Watts’ shoulder.
Now, anyone know how best to go about getting this soul gem?
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The focus contained within the Badru's shell is a pulsating amethyst jewel. With Badru dead, removing it is a straightforward task, although a somewhat messy one.
Additionally, scattered throughout the room are several scrolls and wands, although only a few of them have any remaining magical potency.
Two of the scrolls and two wands still radiate magic. Additionally, a small urn capped with the head of a sha (a jackal-like creature) sits on the table with the mummy. Within the jar is a mummified heart. The jar also radiates magic.
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Given the often disturbing nature of his studies, Watts takes on the task of the acquisition of the jewel to avoid others before forced into the task. He talks in part of his nature as well as to cover the messier noises created by the dismemberment.
"The scroll of glitterdust is unsurprising to find in the stores even from an ancient site such as this. The spell has a long use throughout the studies of magic through the ages. A number of us should be able to utilize it. The other I'm glad that Badru did not deploy it against us. If he was even capable of doing so. That will project a ray of destructive energy to disintegrate whatever it touches. As I am right now, I should be able to leverage the power within for our goals, but hopefully I'm not forced to do so."
"Given a few minutes I could attempt to identify the others, but I suspect that many of you would have already identified them by then."
Watts is also interested in the nature of the haunt that seemed to existed in the room and if it continues to persist past Badru's destruction.
Deyno lets his rage subside once more and dismisses the charged up spell in his hand. He looks over to Cirri and shakes his head in disappointment.
If you need more healing, I have more than enough charges on my wand.
"Oh noble champion! I could use some help!" The psuedodragon flies in front of Deyno. "That lightning bolt left quite a scar. Please, don't let your team mascot die!"
Somehow RIddywhipple achieves cute puppy dog eyes as he pleads.
3 charges later, he's feeling great.
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Cirri shrugs. "I'm mostly okay, Deyno. I gotta figure out how you did that feint with the claws. We should spar later on."
Cirri decides to start scanning.
"Uh... I have no idea what's in the urn."
"Wand of Make Whole. It has about 5 charges left."
"Wand of Mirror Image. It also has about 5 charges left."
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Deyno lets his rage subside once more and dismisses the charged up spell in his hand. He looks over to Cirri and shakes his head in disappointment.
If you need more healing, I have more than enough charges on my wand.
"Oh noble champion! I could use some help!" The psuedodragon flies in front of Deyno. "That lightning bolt left quite a scar."
"Ah, yes, about that..." A trembling, slightly burned Sihir addresses whosoever could provide healing.
Wayangs are deeply strange beings, a wayang illusionist of substantial power all the more so. It is difficult to even tell whether his injury is not as bad as it appears, or contrariwise, worse so.
Just the same, his healer manages to undo everything the bolt did to him short of a few lingering jitters, upon which he pulls out a finely-made box containing several scrolls, from which he draws a small black one. He reads it (despite it's appearing literally blank), and the air around him momentarily becomes unnaturally still as the scroll crumbles to ash.
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Disappointed by Cirri's reasonable reaction toward the soul possessing marionettes Watts strives to study any remaining bits of movement. "Some remnants of the the magic seems to still linger throughout the marionettes. We will likely wish to dispel this before we leave the tomb. Without Badru to control them the ethereal bindings might release them to grow like weeds here. Their power might still grow if not checked."
"For the moment though, I agree with exploring before returning to Saruna. We may yet lose momentum if we choose to stall our progress now, especially with presumably little left to explore."
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The hallways leading out of the workshop floor all wrap around and eventually lead to the platform with the golems. Partway down hallway however lies a small room off to the side. The door is unlocked, and opening it reveals a small bed, a workbench, and several hanging blueprints.
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Watts chirps with excitement for a moment before collecting himself. "Do you know what that is? I almost imagine this is merely a delirium rather than assume that this is real. If I understand correctly, this blueprint is the original plan for the construction of the royal palace in Sothis! It shows the original considerations on how to properly develop the building within Ulunat's shell after it's destruction."
Amazed by every minor crease or stain on the document, Watts hovers over it unwilling to lay a feather on the ancient relic. Instead taking the entire presentation in for proper documentation for a later point.
"Much of this was changed over time, or possibly over the course of construction itself. Many records such have this were thought lost to the ensuing wars. The value of this is immeasurable!"
With the search of the room completed Watts asks, "As much as I would love to begin comparing this to what I know of the palace today, there is the question of what immediate goals we should apply ourselves to. Unless it is critical we face the golems now, we might want to head back to Saruna. She might be able to give us more direction on what we need to do to enter the library proper."
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Preservation Tally
A1 = 1, A2 = 0, A3 = 1, A4 = 0, A5 = 1, A6 = 1, A7 = 1, A8 = 3+, A9 = 0, A10 = 0
B1 = 0, B2 = 1, B3 = 2-, B4 = 0, B5 = 0+
Timer: 1.5 hrs (0-)
Actions: None (0+-)
Current Tally: 11
Yanndu is relatively certain that the golems here rely on visible stimulus and takes a peek into the room. The golems continue to remain stationary as he floats in quietly and gets a closer look at the chamber. Luminous glyphs cover the central pillar, providing dim illumination. The glyphs however are small and dense, containing roughly the equivalent of a small book's worth of information. To decipher and understand them would take 1 hour of work .
The remains of half a dozen Zelekhuts are littered throughout the chamber.
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Yanndu exits the chamber and pass on the information via telepathy. Once back with the others, he casts Ancestral Memory to recall anything pertinent about those glyphs, the pillar, the chamber:
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Yanndu's mind drifts up and up the family tree until a glimmer of recollection trickles back down. The configuration of this chamber is something that you've seen before... or at least your ancestor has. The glyphs at the center of the room would likely be used to activate potent magics that would be channeled throughout the inner platform. Usually chambers in this configuration are used for mass transport of people or objects. The presence of the unique golems here indicate a pretty significant effort being undertaken. The glass golems, at the very least, show the signs not just of being servants of Isis, but imbued by mythic divine power. Generally speaking however, platforms of this type are unique to the construction of the site, and each one would have a ritual involved to activate tailored to the spell being used, and destination.
Generally speaking, a chamber like this would be well sealed with specific entrances and exits. The cavern attached to the chamber likely has a detrimental effect to the preservation of this chamber.
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Telepathically, ***...the chamber beyond is designed for mass transport...the glass golems are servants of Isis imbued with mythic-level divine power...the chamber's seals have been broken and the natural caves now connected to it have had a detrimental effect on the chamber's preservation...I highly recommend we return upstairs to gather further intelligence on the pillar...perhaps the golems can be deactivated somehow...the central pillar will require further study, when the chamber is secured...***
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Cirri's eyes light up. She has all sorts of ideas! She has to keep her mouth shut but- oh! Telepathy!
**This is so cool! Mass transport? Magical Pillars? Incredible magic power? Let's get this gem to Saruna, hopefully she doesn't try to enslave us, and then we can get back up here and check out this room!**
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*** Very interesting, I have met other such constructs in the past. They were incredibly dangerous but it was astonishing to see the power they exhibited. While I've seen other similar sights that channel magical energy, this is the oldest functioning device that I can recall. It is beyond impressive. ***
*** I agree with consulting with Saruna. I would discount the idea that Saruna would attempt to enslave us, but after the soul stealing along with mind controlling magic with Badru, I will be especially careful. ***
Once a safe distance away Watts examines the urn in more detail as he addresses Cirri. *** I do admit your concern for knowledge left better unknown may be warranted Cirri, but I am still very curious about the organ within the magical jar. Possibly it was from an animal from the land and not necessarily from a seintient being. It also might be the case that Bardu wasn't the one that place it there, it may have been placed by a jeweled sage or an aid to one. ***
Watts will study the heart to see if he can identify what sort of creature it came from.
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Yanndu will assist in the inspection of the heart. He suspects it is humanoid in nature, and linked to Badru somehow, or whoever was her master in the past- it would make sense to preserve life tissue of someone you serve dearly, for future resurrection magics and/or other spells which require part of a deceased subject as a focus.
Yanndu will also cast detect psychic significance and detect magic in this room, and after concentrating 3 rounds, focusing on the heart's aura(s).
Afterwards Yanndu will perform Psychometry on the heart:
You can read the psychic impressions left on objects or in places by previous owners and events.
Check: Once per day, you can concentrate for 1 minute while in physical contact with an item or location, during which you receive flashes of insight regarding the subject’s nature and ownership. After 1 minute, you attempt a DC 15 Appraise check to decipher the visions. You gain one piece of information about the historical significance or the last previous owner—such as a glimpse of the last owner’s appearance or its emotional state when it last used the item—determined by the GM. You learn one more piece of information for every 10 by which your check result exceeds the DC, as long as you concentrate for 1 additional minute for each piece of information. If you fail the check by less than 5 or the item has no significant psychic imprint, you don’t learn any information. If you fail this check by 5 or more, the item appears to be psychically significant even if it’s not, and the information you gain is wildly inaccurate.
If you attempt to use psychometry on an item affected by charge object or implant false reading, you automatically learn all information imprinted by the spell. You must also attempt a Will save. If the item is affected by an implant false reading spell, on a success, you realize the information was false, and can determine the true information as well. On a failure, or if the item is affected by a charge object spell, you believe the information is true.
Action: Reading an object requires at least 1 minute of uninterrupted concentration.