GM Kiora's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Kiora Atua

"Hm," is the only verbal reply that Myrna musters at the story of the shield's origins. It had been wielded by a guardsman serving a lord on the plane of water. Such a long way to travel to reach her hands. She wonders if the laws which the guardsmen enforce are just.

When no explanation is forthcoming from Goryon about the origin of their errand, Myrna grumbles with dissatisfaction. Unafe speaks up to try to mollify her, speaking in defense of the second heart that dwelt within her. Trying to be gentle, she replies to the Demetae clansman in the language of their birth, "Rwy'n ymddiried ynoch chi, yr ysbryd hwn o'r gorffennol pell nad wyf mor siŵr amdano. Mae hyn yn swnio'n fwy a mwy fel ein bod ni'n mynd i achub hen gariad, ac mae hi'n embaras dweud wrthon ni."

She gestures about herself at the completely alien environment, the reflecting pool, the song-puzzle, the fey ally they had. All of it was brand-new. She adds, "Dydw i ddim yn siŵr sut y gallaf adnabod pa greaduriaid bynnag sy'n byw yma fel ein "gelynion hynaf". Onid y rhai hyn, mewn gwirionedd, yw ein gelynion mwyaf newydd? Nid wyf erioed wedi clywed am unrhyw un o'r creaduriaid hyn o'r blaen."

She looks at Ganymede, wondering about further details before she dove recklessly across the room. "Ganymede," she asks, "Can we just walk across here? You said, 'behind the shrine', but also something about a guardian. Do we just have to go around quietly?"

Ganymede nods his head, his long hair cascading down his back like a waterfall. "Bəli, Myrna," he whispers."Bu məbədin gözətçisinə xəyanət etmək olmaz. Ən kiçik bir səs belə çıxarsaq, onu varlığımızdan xəbərdar edəcəyik. Amma diqqətli və səssizcə hərəkət etsək, diqqətsiz keçə bilməliyik. Mən edəcəyəm. səni bu yoldan sağ-salamat keçir. Məni izləməyə hazırsan?"

Ehren walked through the crystalline city in solemn silence, treating it with the reverence one would show a graveyard. The unearthly marvels that towered around them seemed to escape his notice, so focused are his eyes on the ground before them. The frozen corpses, he realized, must be those of the city's former inhabitants, victims of Kelizandri's conquest. The druid seethed at the injustice of it all. Even on this cold, lifeless star, far from home, the innocent could die cruel, meaningless deaths.

It is no surprise when more dead greet them in the temple, but with Ganymede leading them to their destination, Ehren refocuses on the mission. He nods when the nereid warns them to be quiet, only to look to Unafe, sharing her concern. The sacred ancestors were, as always, ill at ease. He cannot imagine that they would go silent now.

"Any ideas, Li'an?" he asks, noticing that the chamber has caught her interest.

Ganymede's lithe form moves gracefully as he steps forward, careful not to disturb the glowing lights on the ground. He glances back, his eyes imploring the heroes to be silent. The frozen pool at the center of the room reflects the walls' murals, the colors twisted and distorted in the icy surface. The blue orb hovering above the pool casts an ethereal glow on everything it touches, illuminating the abandoned temple's once-grandeur.

Pagbean nods in understanding, quickly whispering an incantation under his breath. The gnome's body shimmers and fades from sight. Lohad follows suit, the red-skinned gunslinger's body vanishing with a faint shimmer.

Ganymede turns back to face the heroes, his fingers pressed to his lips in a silent plea for quiet.

The nereid beckons the heroes forward, leading them towards the blue orb. As he gets closer, he can see intricate symbols etched into the floor, glowing faintly in the orb's light.

ganymede stealth: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (9) + 24 = 33

"I think this is an instrument designed to be played to honor Desna," she says in response to Ehren's query, taking a moment to repeat herself in sylvan for the benefit of Pagbean. "I remember watching Isilme singing this with my father once. It can't be a coincidence."

Li'an drifts forward, using her magic to make note of the magical auras, but not bothering to take the time to identify them all. She looks around the room trying to get a feel for whether the orb in the center was designed to serve as some sort of control or instrument for playing the notes they'd encoded in the murals in the ground. Between the hymn she'd remembered, the pillars, and the notes on the ground, she had everything she needed to bring the place to life.

Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26

Once she takes a moment to study the layout of the room and murals, she turns her attention back to the strongest Aura, trying to analyze it further.

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 20 + 5 + 2 = 40

Li'an looks into the room with murals, but as she is still focusing on detect magic, she can't exactly move anywhere without interrupting her spell. She takes a moment to observe her surroundings, her fiery red hair casting a warm glow across the icy walls of the abandoned temple. As she focuses her attention on the spell she is casting, the world around her seems to blur, leaving only the shimmering magical energies that course through the air.... divination magic seems to emanate from the orb at the center.

3 rounds have passed since the heroes have entered the Voice of the Seven Songs, please update buff tracking.

There are 7 decaying murals in the room. They are in terrible shape and it is hard to tell what they depict at a passing glance. They can each be scrutinized using a standard action. Studying the murals requires a DC 27 Artistry check or a DC 27 Appraise check or a DC 33 Perception check could be used while directly adjacent to the mural. Alternatively, one could attempt to scrutinize them from up to 30 feet away but this adds +10 to the DCs described. Exceeding the DC by 5 allows one to do this as a move action, by 10, as a swift action, by 15, an immediate action.

The room is dimly lit. Making the above checks requires darkvision, or a bright light source (blindsight does not allow you to look at flat murals)

Remember that the aid another action requires one to be adjacent to the person you are trying to aid.

Li'an - Kindly do not submit more than a round worth of actions.

Everyone else is entitled to 2 rounds of actions (one before when Li'an spoke, then one after)

Ganymede's eyes widen as he hears Li'an's voice whispering directly into his ear through the magic of message. He starts gesturing frantically and silently with his hands, hoping to warn the heroes not to make a sound. But it is too late. As the orb begins to whir to life, an ethereal humanoid figure materializes from within it, hovering above it. The figure is 15 feet tall with beautiful, moth-like wings that resemble the corpses in the room. It is somewhat see-through, yet its presence is commanding. It floats there for a moment, wearing a benign expression, and gestures with one hand. Suddenly, an alien string instrument appears in its hand, and it starts to play. The music that emanates from the instrument is both beautiful and alien, filling the room with a haunting melody that reverberates through the walls.

As it plays, the small, glowing lights on the floor near the furthest mural from the heroes, in the back of the room, start to flicker in time with the notes. The nereid seems entranced by the beauty of the sound.

Beneath each of the 7 murals, there are bright lights on the floor that seem to represent musical notes. A PC can use a DC 20 Perform check (song, percussion, winds, keyboard, or strings) to study the lights and read the music, enabling that character to play the music using a separate Perform check if desired. This requires a standard action and the hero must be at least 60' away from the mural to study it. Beating the check by 5 reduces the action necessary to a move action, by 10 to a swift action, by 15, an immediate action. Darkvision is not required for these checks.

Suddenly, the music starts to play out of tune, devolving into a horrible screeching noise. The image of the ethereal being stutters and skips, and its face contorts in anger as it grips its head with one hand. It cries out, its scream high-pitched and unearthly, causing the nereid to wince in pain.

Ganymede Will Save: 1d20 + 14 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 14 - 1 = 33
Damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (3, 6, 5) + 8 = 22

As the wave of sound hits Ganymede, he doubles over in agony, clutching his head as his whole body quivers. The sound seems to be coming from all directions at once, pulsing through his being like a physical force. His ears ring as the pain passes, leaving behind a dull throb that he tries to ignore. He looks up at the heroes and motions for them to follow him. Ganymede points to a large hole in the floor at the back of the temple. The outline of the hole glows with a fluorescent yellow light, making it impossible to miss.

Ganymede takes 11 sonic damage.

Battlemap up-to-date. The seven murals are shown on the walls using the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink. Please use the map to show where your character is. The lights that were glowing earlier are under the RED mural.

Myrna watches as Li'an's speaking causes a winged image of a strange alien to appear and harshly attack Ganymede. She had seen how the fragile fey had suffered during their last battle, and she winces at his pain.

Li'an wanted to play music? But they had to move completely silently through the room. Ganymede wanted them to go into the hole at the other end of the room.

Frowning, not really understanding, and feeling a bit useless, Myrna shifts a little bit closer to the room's entrance. She figures, if she breaks out in a full-out run, she can make it to the hole quickly enough to not get hurt too badly...

She turns to Li'an, asking (and trying her best to be quiet), "Why would we play music at a time like this? Fond memories of a father or no, we are in great danger."

Not sure how Myrna can contribute to this encounter! She can't succeed at any checks to study the murals.

Spending 2 MP to cast identify using Wild Arcana as a move action
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 20 + 5 + 2 = 33

Std Act: Casting communal resist energy (sonic); Mv. Act: Casting identify (2 MP); Free Act: 5' step
communal resist energy 20 min to Li'an, Ehren, Myrna and Unafe, 10 min to Hinagiku, Pangbean, Lohad and Ganymede

The appearance of the 'guardian' in the center of the room and its start playing music confirms Li'an's suspicion that the room was intended to teach followers of Desna how to play the seven songs as a form of worship. When the guardian begins to assault Ganymede sonically, she realizes that the only way to appease it at this point would be to properly play the songs depicted around the room in the proper order.

She lifts her hand up and quickly abjures a ward to protect her friends and their new companions from the guardian's sonic attacks. "That should help protect us. Listen, I believe we can appease the guardian if we can determine what each of these murals means and play the songs each is associated with in the correct order. The hymn I remembered mentions the songs on the seven pillars in a specific order: Harmony, Melody, Eternal, Celestial, Radiance, Nurturing and Transformative."

"If this were simply a temple and for of worship, there would be no need for this complexity and a guardian, the Desnans must have hidden something here for their followers, like the supplies left at wayshrines. Will you all help me solve this? I really feel like this is too incredible to be a mere coincidence that I happened to know the hymn this refers to. I feel that Desna means for us to find whatever is here."

Unafe listens, clearly uncertain. "If the Song of Spheres can aid us...well, we could use all the aid we can get. But we have already delayed for a battle, and to search through that abomination's guts. How long are you asking for?"

OOC I know Li'an expects less than 1 min, which Unafe will agree to. She'll follow Li'an's instructions as to which ones to look at, in which order. Here are two Perform rolls.
.
Before entering, she'll take her -4 AC penalty for +23 THP / round

Perform (sing) to study one: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31
Perform (sing) to study another: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

"We need to learn each of the songs and and perform them, if we move quickly it shouldn't take but a minute, especially if you and Ehren go one direction and Myrna and Hinagiku go the other,", she replies to Unafe, aware of her concerns about time.

Hinagiku had been ready to slowly follow Ganymede carried aloft by the rarified ley around her. When the music started, it felt for a moment that the song would help carry her in. That is until the screech resonated through the whole room, bringing her down to earth both literally and figuratively.

Not wasting a moment, Hinagiku signals for Ganymede to return to her allies side. It was clear to her that Li’an had something in mind and that further entering the room might be too dangerous for the nereid.

Turning to Li’an, Hinagiku’s silent stare asks for what is on his mind. Once the risen celestial explains her stance, Hinagiku answers with a short nod. Ary had taught her that things of value could be found in unexpected places and she trusted that this would be the case here too.

Protected by Li’an’s magic, Hinagiku begins searching the mural to gather more information. She does not dally and quickly walks in front of the murals doing her best to understand each of the ones she passes by.

perception green: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40 50 total
perception yellow: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40 50 total

Uncertainly, Myrna enters the room. It was strange to find things like this in such locations as an alien comet, and even stranger to assume that one might find treasure if one sung a song, but Li'an had been right about the shield inside the abomination's stomach. Perhaps she could be right about this too. Bracing for the sonic magic's impact, she turns to the nearest bright song notes along the floor to study them.

Perform: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (9) + 20 = 29

Myrna studies the glowing lights below the mural. It's harder than she thought it would be at first, as many of the lights seem to no longer function, leaving large gaps in the pattern. The intricate patterns and symbols seem to pulse with a life of their own, as if whispering secrets to her through the ages. She leans in closer, tracing her fingers along the cool metal surface, and suddenly a melody springs to life in her mind.

Meanwhile, as Myrna is focused on deciphering the inscriptions, Hinagiku quietly approaches the murals, her eyes trained on the faded images before her. Protected by Li’an’s magic, she centers herself and begins to search for clues that could lead them to the answer they seek.

As she walks along the wall, she studies each mural with a keen eye, determined to glean as much information as she can. She sees the first mural that Myrna was examining, and she pauses to take a closer look. This one seems to depict an alien woman carrying a small bottle beneath a large tree.

She continues on, her pace quickening as she moves from one mural to the next, studying each one intently. The murals are mostly faded, but Hinagiku is a skilled observer, and she's able to piece together what they might have looked like in their original state.

She walks on to the next mural. It seems to depict the same alien woman, but now the bottle is glowing brilliantly at night. The roots of the tree seem to be extending outwards, connecting the two murals into one coherent image.

Ehren is up!

As Li'an explained the true nature of the chamber, Ehren reached for one of the wands on his belt, figuring that lighting it up would help. Perhaps then he might see what it is that has intrigued her so. With a tap of the wand, the druid sets the top end of his staff ablaze, unleashing brilliant light akin to that of the sun itself. Before he could ask the sorceress to elaborate further, he caught sight of Ganymede's silent warning - and the beautiful performance that soon followed.

Ehren watched as the giant performer played her haunting melody, realizing with a pang of sorrow that this must be what the Sarcesians looked like in life. But, before he could dwell too deeply on that thought, the melody becomes dissonant, something the image seems to take great offense to.

Sense Motive (untrained): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

The druid winces when she lets out her scream, mostly in sympathy for Ganymede, who takes the brunt of her wrath. He could see why the nereid thought of her as a guardian, but judging by her frustration, that was more a consequence of the wrongness here than it was her intended purpose. Perhaps Li'an is right about this place.

With Hinagiku heading in one direction, Ehren sprints, taking his miniature sun with him.

Perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (15) + 17 = 32

First Round: Move action to draw wand of daylight, standard action to activate it, targeting his staff.
Second Round: Full round action to run 120 feet, swift action to inspect the purple mural at an absurdly high DC.

For reference, resist energy is CL 10, and providing resist sonic 20

Ganymede sees Hinagiku gesturing for him and silently nods, slowly creeping back out of the room and into the hallway. Pagbean and Lohad stand by, invisible, unsure of what is going on exactly.

Sonic Damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (4, 8, 5) + 8 = 25

Unafe enters the room, moving at the opposite direction that Myrna was. She follows behind Ehren, trailing along slower so that she can inspect the glowing lights beneath the murals.

All PCs must make a DC 20 will save or take 5 sonic damage. Success is 0 damage.

After a brief pause, the alien at the center of the room starts playing again - the exact same song as before - but just as before the music eventually distorts and becomes garbled. The alien cries out, the dissonant noise filling the room in an enormous burst. But, thanks to Li'an's protective magic, it is not nearly as painful as it could be.

Will Save: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Li'an takes 5 damage

Li'an feels the power of the discordant tone coming from the image of the alien being in the center of the room, but is spared the worst of it by her own magic. Moving forward, she heads towards the runes she'd spied around the large orb, trying to get a better feel for what they might do.

Full-round Act: fly 60' towards orb; Free Act: Study the Runes
Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 20 + 5 + 2 = 45

Perception DC 33: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (13) + 17 = 30
Will Save DC 20: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19 Ehren takes 5 damage.

Ehren digs in his heels and grinds to a halt in front of one of the murals, just in time to be hit by another of the alien's frustrated screams. The force behind the cry catches him off-guard, but Li'an's magic thankfully shields him from the worst of it. Given a moment of respite, he raises his light and inspects the mural, only to find that it is even more timeworn than he initially thought.

Perception DC 43: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (15) + 17 = 32

As the music begins anew, Hinagiku puts her hands over her ears but continues her observation of the murals. However, the next screech breaks her concentration, preventing her from focusing long enough on the wall. Squinting through the pain, Hinagiku tries to continue deciphering the damages image but another screech causes her to wince.

Will: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

Perform: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Unafe manages to steel her mind against the discordant scream–she had learned to sleep through the sounds of the ancestors singing and shouting, after all.

She watches the lights under the furthest mural from the door pulse in tune to the time of the music.

She points to the light and says, "Look! At around the same time the music starts to become distorted, it starts to skip beats on the floor. Maybe because many of the lights have become broken over time?

"Any idea what might fix those lights?"

She continues around the room trying to learn the songs, intent to meet Myrna in the middle. She hums each as she commits it to memory, and notes, "These are...beautiful, I think, but soo unlike our Sarkorian songs."

Perform: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29

See discord for resolution.

While Unafe decodes another song, Hinagiku peers at the next mural. This one shows the same (or is it a different?) alien woman, sitting amidst a swirling and chaotic landscape. She grasps a string instrument in her hands, and her expression is serene.

Myrna is up!

The ring of runes might have been indecipherable linguistically, but the intent was obvious even without any special knowledge of music. The murals and songs at the edges were clearly meant to teach one how to play a song, and the central figure seemed to suggest how to start it repeatedly. The runes then must be the instrument that was intended to be used for playing the song.

"This set of runes around the main orb here appears to be an instrument," Li'an says to the group. "Once we have all seven songs and know the order we will need to play them here."

Will (well-versed): 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 4 = 20
Perform (yellow song): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (3) + 20 = 23

Myrna tunes out the sonic blast of the strange holo-creature. As a magical performer herself, she was resistant to attacks that shared characteristics with her own attacks, and Li'an's spell protects her against whatever lingering damage that might have been done. Thanking the gods for the protection of compatriots, Myrna presses forward, studying the next song in line. This entire room, entire situation, still confused her, but now that everyone was in the line of danger, Myrna was determined to see the situation through to its end.

Myrna moves a little farther into the room, and then studies the yellow song.

Sonic Damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (1, 3, 1) + 8 = 13

No saves necessary this round.

The alien figure at the center of the room retrieves its instrument, a beautiful contraption carved from a material the heroes do not recognize. As the figure tries once again to play its song, but again the notes fall flat, discordant and off-key. The melody is broken, and the figure's frustration is palpable. The being ignores Li'an's presence, so focused on its music that it seems oblivious to the intrusion.

As the music builds to form another wave of sound, a shimmering shield of magical energy appears, circling the heroes. The power of Li'an's wards is so strong that the discordant notes are barely perceptible, like a distant echo in a quiet room. The alien figure's frustration only grows, and it begins to thrash its arms in anger.

With the discordant music losing its intensity, Hinagiku is finally able to fully focus on the mural in front of her. Once its meaning becomes apparent, she continues her way to the next one while attempting to see it from afar but it is so deteriorated that it quickly becomes apparent that she will need to walk all the way to it to make sense of what it represents.

At the same time, Hinagiku listens to the discussion of her companions. The monk had so far remained silent because even with magical protection they were still likely to be hurt. But, seeing as though she was the only one doing so, the point had quickly become moot. And so she finally joins in.
”I don’t know how to fix any of these… or even what we could do with any of this information…. But the two murals I passed had a woman carrying a bottle. One under a tree the other under the moon at night, with the bottle glorwing.”

Unafe moves deeper into the strange room. She looks at the third pillar but this one vexes her.

Perform: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Continuing to take her -4 AC penalty for +23 THP / round until we're out of this room, or I say otherwise.

Ehren continues to stare at the mural, unable to make heads or tails of what it is supposed to depict.

Perception DC 33 (Standard): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (3) + 17 = 20
Perception DC 38 (Move): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (14) + 17 = 31
Perception DC 43 (Swift): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33

Perception vs Red/StdAct/30' range DC43: 1d20 + 21 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 21 + 2 = 30

Having sorted out mostly what was in the middle, Li'an heads towards the mural at the back to try to help sort out the rest of the murals to speed things along.
"Qanymede, Pagbean, Lohad, sən çıxış portalında gözləyə bilərsən, biz bu qəyyumunu bir azdan sakitləşdirəcəyik," she whispers to the others, thinking it safest if they go wait within the exit.

Mv Act: Move 30' north; Std Act: Perception check vs red

Seems like I'm close enough to study orange from here.

Just as lost as Hinagiku, Myrna has figured out how to play two parts to this song, but totally uncertain about what order they go in, or how the murals that Hinagiku described relate to the music... but still, she forges on, walking close enough to resolve the next floor-runes and studying them.

Perform v. Orange: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24

Sonic Damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (4, 8, 3) + 8 = 23

At Li'an's urging, Ganymede rushes into the room, his heart pounding in his chest. He comes to a stop just behind Myrna, who's intensely focused on deciphering the lights beneath the mural that Hinagiku had been studying. Ganymede takes a deep breath to steady himself before speaking up.

"Nə baş verir? Bir şey tapdınızmı?" Ganymede asks, his eyes darting between across the room at all of the heroes, then the murals, then the blinking lights. He has to shout to be audible across the screeching dissonance of the "music" being played by the alien guardian, but thanks to Li'an's magic, he barely notices it.

Ganymede will save: 1d20 + 14 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 14 - 1 = 24
Pagbean will save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Lohad Will Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

All heroes must take a DC 20 will save or take 3 damage. Successful save negates the damage

Lohad takes 3 damage

Will Save: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

3 damage

Seeing Hinagiku has almost reached her, Li'an heads over towards the mural to her left, thinking it best to study that one. Floating mid-wall, she tries to take in the faded mural so she can understand it.

Perception vs Pink - Std Act, DC 33: 1d20 + 21 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 21 + 2 = 42

Li'an peers deeply at what remains of the ruined paint and tile that once, likely, constituted a beautiful mural. From what she can tell, this mural depicted a woman- her chest and belly bare, but flush with the stars of the night sky. She has a sort of halo, but rather than the typical halo depicted on Avistani art, the woman's halo is formed of glowing stars.

Will Save DC 20: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32
Perception DC 33 (Standard Action): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22
Perception DC 38 (Move Action): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22
Perception DC 43 (Swift Action): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (15) + 17 = 32

"I'm going to need another pair of eyes over here," Ehren concedes, his tone betraying his frustration.

Will (well-versed): 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 4 = 16

Myrna winces when a particularly violent stretch of magical music breaks through Li'an's defenses, causing her a momentary migraine.

Hearing the plaintive cries of Ganymede, Myrna stops for a second. She's confused, all right, so she doesn't really know what to say to the little creature at first... but then the thought dawns on her. Everyone was just motivated by something they weren't saying out loud! She turns to the little creature, hearing the creature struggle to speak to her, pauses for a moment. She gestures with wave-like fingers and then a string-pull up, rubbing a small piece of brass attached to the end of her other sleeve. Her voice amplifies in volume, allowing her to easily be heard by everyone in the room. She replies in tongues, "You'd better jump into the hole and wait for us, Ganymede -- it seems like we decided on a spontaneous jam sesh!"

"Don't worry, we're safe. This'll only take a minute."

Then she plods over towards the music at the pinnacle of the room. It seemed her compatriots had largely finished examining the room for clues on how to play the music, so she calls out, "I learned a few measures -- you think this is written to be call and response?"

What language do you hear tongues in?

Will: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Unafe loses her focus and feels her ears ring with the discordant noise, but the berserker-focus she learned while training as a youth keeps the main mostly out of her mind. THP 23-3 = 20...but will replenish next round

She studies the same music that had stumped her moments ago, and suddenly it makes sense to her.

She then looks over at the next one, but realizes it's going to take some time as well.

Perform: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31 Enough to only take a Move, but alas...
Perform: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

”This one shows a serene woman in a chaotic landscape grabbing a musical instrument. ” Hinagiku whispers while she gets a running start and jumps across the escape route that separates her from the next mural which she then proceeds to inspect.

Myrna can choose what language she communicates in tongues in to specifically prevent specific listeners from understanding what she says. If she doesn't specify, it's their native tongue.

Ganymede's eyes widen in surprise at Myrna's unexpected response. He looks up at her with a mix of confusion and concern, "Gözləyin, nə demək istəyirsiniz? Başa düşmürəm... cem sessiyası? Amma... Zhaleh..." He trails off, clearly still worried about the situation at hand.

Ganymede's initial hesitation gives way to trust. With a nod of his head, he made his way towards the end of the shrine where a large hole was situated. The hole was outlined in fluorescent yellow, ensuring that it was impossible to miss. As he approaches it, Ganymede points downwards and yells in Sylvan, the language of the fey. His voice manages to rise just above the discordant music.

"Pagbean, Lohad, sadəcə aşağı tullanmalısan! Çox dərin su hovuzuna düşəcəksən, yaxşı olacaq," he shouts, his words carrying a sense of urgency and conviction.

Hinagiku now stands before the furthest mural from the entrance, which is also the most well-preserved, albeit under a thick layer of dust. An alien woman kneels, chest bared with one breast adorned with a glowing sun, the other adorned with a glowing moon. Two, smaller aliens approach her from opposite sides. Many other alien faces emerge from the amorphous space around her. At the center is a large, golden symbol.

Meanwhile, Unafe stands further behind Li'an while she observes the mural of the woman with the glowing halo, and deciphers the corresponding glowing symbols on the floor.

Sonic Damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (4, 8, 7) + 8 = 27
Ganymede will save: 1d20 + 14 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 14 - 1 = 26
Pagbean will save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
Lohad Will Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Make a DC 20 Will Save or take 7 sonic damage.

Will Save DC 20: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28
Perception vs. Purple DC 33 (Standard): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34
Perception vs. Blue DC 38 (Swift): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33

After several long seconds spent staring at the badly damaged mural, Ehren is just about to give up when finally, he discerns the pattern amid the chaos. He takes a moment to commit the image to memory before darting off, hoping he has better luck with the last of them.

In the end, Ehren concludes that the image was absurdly chaotic by design: it depicts an alien woman - more humanoid in appearance than the others - surrounded by a chaotic stew. From it, rises an alien face, as well as other alien structures. The woman seems to have a musical instrument gripped in one hand. Behind her, drifts the Môr o Sêr.

The other mural is more straight-forward in imagery, so it takes much less time to study: it depicts an alien woman in a chaotic environment, gripping some sort of strange, alien device.

Perception: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (18) + 21 = 39
Will Save: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33

Knowing there was little she could do to help out immediately, Li'an waits for Unafe and Myrna to continue learning the music.

Delay until after both Unafe and Myrna go

Will: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Perform (stnd): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19
Perform (move): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Unafe feels a faint ache in her ears. Again, her berserker focus keeps dulls the pain, but it distracts her.

She has a moment where she thinks the melody will continue to allude her...and then in a flash, it makes sense.

Sorry, meant to say after Unafe if she succeeds, otherwise after Myrna too.

Li'an keeps watch on Unafe and Myrna, trying to get a sense of when they've retrieved the remainder of the music. When she sees Unafe concentrating on the final one and seemingly making progress, she readies herself. It would be a simple matter to gather them all by what she had presumed was the instrument, and from there hopefully Unafe and Myrna could figure out what needed to be done.

"If you have it figured out, let me know Unafe, and I'll gather us by the instrumentation along with Myrna," She then prepares to teleport the three of them together in a flash to help reduce the time necessary to appease the guardian.

Readied action to cast dimension door on Myself, Myrna and Unafe. Will teleport to the instrument when Unafe succeeds on red

After Unafe finishes studying the melody in front of her, Li'an teleports herself, Myrna, and Unafe to the guardian at the center of the room.

"This one respresents a bare chested woman adorned with a sun and a moon." Hinagiku says at last.

Looking back, she can see that most of her companions have congregated around the centre of the room. And so, she motions for them to go ahead without her for, from where she was, she can keep a lookout for the members of the group who are planning to plunged into the well.

will: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (3) + 17 = 20 +2 vs enchantment, +2 vs death effects+4 fear, poison, disease, curses, negative energy effects, death effects, charm and compulsion effects.

Will: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 4 = 31

Myrna suddenly finds herself standing in the center of the room, and jumps in surprise. "Wha- oh." None of her compatriots had answered her questions, and she still felt lost as to what to do, but it seemed that Li'an knew exactly what would need to be completed. Was she a Desna worshiper? No, her little angel had said she worshiped Pulura.

She turns to Li'an. "Why did you pull me here? I haven't finished studying all the music. Have you figured out the procedure by studying the murals? It is call and response?"

A hush falls over the room as the guardian's song fades away, making Myrna's words to Li'an crystal clear. But their moment of respite is short-lived as the guardian begins its song again, playing the same few seconds before faltering once more. Suddenly, a cacophony of discordant noise fills the air, drowning out any further conversation.

Ganymede winces at the sound, his eyes darting towards the heroes one last time before diving headfirst into the hole, disappearing from sight.

Though the heroes cannot see Pagbean and Lohad, they can hear them calling out to one another in their native tongue of Gunche. However, only Myrna and Li'an can understand what they are saying, thanks to magical help.

Sonic damage: 3d8 + 8 ⇒ (2, 5, 7) + 8 = 22
Make a DC 20 Will save or take 2 damage
Ganymede will save: 1d20 + 14 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 14 - 1 = 31
Pagbean will save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29
Lohad Will Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Lohad takes 2 sonic damage.

After a brief pause, the alien at the center of the room starts playing again - the exact same song as before - but just as before the music eventually distorts and becomes garbled. The alien cries out, the dissonant noise filling the room in an enormous burst. But, thanks to Li'an's protective magic, it is not nearly as painful as it could be.

DC 20 Perform (sing, percussion, keyboard, strings):

Perform: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31

Will: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

"Alright. I think that bit by red is where it starts. What's the rest of the order? Can anyone tell?

"Once we know the order, Myrna, shall we each sing the parts we know. I can't play the instrument...but hopefully Desna cares more for the song itself?"

"The order will be given by the murals and the Desnan hymn I remember, assuming red starts, it must be Harmony, the others will be 'melody', 'eternal', 'celestial', 'radiant', 'nurturing', and 'transformative'. Ehren, Daisy, can you guess which of the murals you saw match the words?"