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A miasmal form roils as barbed tentacles emerge from the central mass, coalescing into razor-sharp talons and claws.
Jair and Imrana realize the statue depicts Pazuzu, the demon lord of the sky and winged creatures.
The creature is a Mihstu, a malevolent sort of air elemental. They have damage reduction overcome by magic weapons, in addition to the usual elemental resistances, spell resistance, and immunity to electric
ity, though cold can stun the creature. Their windy form also can deflect ranged attacks.
Doubtful and Dunkel's attacks hack the closest creature to pieces. Another flies up, arriving right in the path of Imrana's missile.
Doubtful, Dunkel, and Jair begin to Doubt the reality of these enemies.
Amiri and Feighllaro are up.
Amiri roars, adjusts to a flank, and attempts to take-out the remaining creature!
Amiri breathes a sigh of relief when the creatures disappear into thin air. When the altar panel falls open, a look of puzzlement briefly crosses her features.
"Huh. I thought she said the statue was made of gold? I wonder why this one is made of glass...?"
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As Amiri thinks about the statue, the walls appear to ripple and shift. Wulessa’s memories fade into a different reality as the stone walls again become glass. The room’s dimensions remain the same, but the altar, catwalks, and vents all vanish. The statue remains, but its form distorts into that of a featureless humanoid, all signs of either demonic or Wulessa’s likeness melting away. Beneath the statue, a glass portcullis blocks off another passageway. Opposite the passage and statue the wall once again crumbles away into a fathomless void.
The black and blue bricks once again arrange into complex patterns.
In turn, they show:
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Dunkel scratches his chin under his beard as he considers the images.
"Rats! Diggin' rats no less!"
"Hrmmm, is perhaps th' keeper of this mindscape trying t' tell us 'e needs us t' git rid o' some o' his rodents?"
Dunkel steps up and shouts out to the void.
"Take us t' yer rodents! We'll clean 'em up real good! We bein' Pathfinders and such!"
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Imrana analyzes all of the pictures as they cycle through, biting her lip as her mind works. She finally nods thoughtfully to herself.
"Here is what I am thinking: the first image is saying that the Venture-Captain will be taken care of if she stays here. The montage is perhaps saying that she will be rewarded for staying? Or maybe we will be paid for her memories?"
She shakes her head, dismissing her last hypothesis.
"Hmm...but I think the last one, the rats being shooed away, is supposed to be us. Whatever is sending the message does not think very highly of us, I think."
Amiri frowns.
"I can't shake the feeling that there is a consciousness at work here other than Wulessa, and one that doesn't really like our presence..."
She then moves to inspect the portcullis.
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Jair was quite interested by the phenomenon. The memories of the Venture-Captain wiped out and store in the archive. May be all the knowledge in it was extracted that way ?
How important and secret is the knowledge stored in the Archive ? What a discovery for the Society ! Her master will be pleased by that !
Jair thoughts are disturbed by Doubtful's remarks and after a few seconds she says.
Yes, you're right. We are Pathfinders and Pathfinders don't let one of them be consumed by an alien entity. We need to save Wulessa's memories AND the knowledge stored in this Archive.
Aeon are neutral outsiders, may be can we talk to the Archivist and convince him to realease her ? Even if they are alien to us, they are neither good nor evil. What they seek is balance in Reality. If we can convince him that taking Wulessa's mind could break the balance may be they will agree to release her soul ?
She looks around her and says I think we need to continue our journey in Wulessa's mind and souvenirs. We must cross the portcully to find what's behind.
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Dunkel huffaws at the thought that the Pathfinder team could be represented as rats.
"What? Us? Rats!? Ah' think not..."
As he shakes his fist, his expression softens.
"Unless, they're representin' us as Darklands Diggas, tha' breed o' rat is as clever as a monkey n' as good ah' diggin' as ah' adamantine drill-bit..."
Dunkel seems less insulted and even puffs his chest a little.
He then examines the portcullis.
"Can't we jess pretend it's nah here? 'N our minds? Or that th' bars are made o' noodles or somethin' else?"
Dunkel gives the bars a stinkface and begins to imagine they are long cooked Tien noodles that he can slip in between.
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The rats are decidedly not Darklands Diggas, or even Darklands Diggers. As you consider the message, the portcullis fades away, replaced by a simple wooden door.
You do retain the rope, and the potion from the shrine to Pazuzu.
As the door opens, a familiar bell tinkles overhead, letting Palhuna Murqual know that his shop has visitors once more. The setting has changed subtly since earlier; while the shop’s layout remains the same, the wares previously displayed in cases and on the walls are missing. In their places are keys of all shapes, sizes, and construction. A scroll appears to have manifested in Imrana's hand.
The thin man from the shop stands alone in front of you, smiling unctuously. The figure's movements seem unusual. His mouth goes from neutral to smiling seemingly instantaneously, with no transition. His other motion likewise seems jerky and irregular.
He produces a key, seemingly from nowhere, and gestures to a door that appears just as suddenly. With one hand, he offers the key to you all. With the other, he beckons to Imrana.
The fat man from the shop stands alone in front of you, smiling unctuously. The figure's movements seem unusual. His mouth goes from neutral to smiling seemingly instantaneously, with no transition. His other motion likewise seems jerky and irregular.
He produces a key, seemingly from nowhere, and gestures to a door that appears just as suddenly. With one hand, he offers the key to you all. With the other, he beckons to Imrana.
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"Now what?" The dwarf complains as the scene shifts once more.
Seeing the somewhat familiar confines of Palhuna Murqual's shop does not seem to comfort him at all.
"Oh great, Wulessa wasn't at this place... this is from one of our heads." His hands go up to the sides of his head, as if hoping to keep his thoughts from leaking out.
He glares at the lone figure before them for a moment, then glances around the room, noting the missing mirrors and other paraphernalia.
"He trying to kick us out?" He asks the others hesitantly.
"We're not leaving without Venture-Captain Wulessa." He says, petulantly, though his heart doesn't seem quite in it, as its clear he badly wants to leave this place for good.
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"Ah'm not jess a warrior nor spellcaster, ah'm a Diggerson!"
Mechanically, he has more levels wizard than warrior, so "by crunch", he's 66% spellcaster, 33% warrior.
Although, if he was forced to answer the question himself where "Diggerson" isn't a valid choice, he'd probably say he's a warrior before he'd say he's a wizard.
Dunkel eyes the fat man suspiciously and speaks as if the man wasn't even present to hear what he's saying.
"Ah' dun like th' look on th' fat man's face as e's offerin' us th' key!"
He then eyes Imrana's scroll suspiciously as he shuffles over to glance over her shoulder at it.
"Wha's on th' scroll?"
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Imrana looks around randomly.
"I am holding a scroll?"
She finally simply looks at her hands.
"How long have I been holding a scroll? Why am I holding a scroll?"
She closes her eyelids, contemplating the scroll.
"OH. I see. The last set of images had Wulessa being rolled up in a scroll like this, so if we gave him the scroll, it would be like we are giving him Wulessa. Maybe he would give us the key then?."
Imrana investigates the scroll to see if there is evidence to confirm her hypothesis.
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Doubtful gives Imrana a sharp look.
"We can't do that." He retorts, uncomfortably.
He hesitantly moves up towards the strange rendition of the man from the shop, glaring.
"Maybe we can just take the key?" He asks, dubiously, though doesn't immediately reach for it.
"And what are all the other keys for?" He asks a moment later, looking hesitantly around the shop.
"...or even if it understands the concept of pronouns...?"
Amiri shakes her head at the fat man's antics.
"I am afraid that we must respectfully decline; we can't leave without Wulessa..."
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Murqual exasperatedly throws his hands up, and both he and the door disappear. The facsimile of Murqual’s shop shimmers like a heat mirage, transforming into the familiar meeting room in Farseer Tower.
Familiar, at least, in shape. The furnishings are different, more resembling a grandmother’s cozy tea room than the stark, studious place where this journey began. Intricately brocaded settees and poufs clutter the room, while elaborate tapestries cover almost every inch of the walls. One of these, a floor length cerulean silk curtain, is embroidered with a portrait of Wulessa Yuul. Her arms are folded across her chest, and a look of distaste resides upon her face. After a moment, she turns within the image to face you.
“When I first became Venture-Captain and took charge of Farseer Tower, this was how the place looked. The whole tower. My predecessor was more concerned with frippery and luxuries than with hard-won knowledge and diligence. If this becomes my final view of the tower, it might be the greatest indignity of all.”
She shakes her head, before continuing to address you, “I think you are close to the end. I can feel the archivist pausing its work with me to face you directly. The shadows you fought before now were a reflexive response, like sweeping cobwebs from one’s face. Now I think you have its full attention. I don’t think it can appear directly. Its essence is split across all the archive’s scrolls, but whatever form it takes will have considerably more power than the things you’ve fought before now.”
She scrunches her face up again, and two potions appear on a nearby marquetry adorned teak credenza.
"I'll do my best to keep it at bay, though I can't hold it off forever. Let me know when you are ready, and I shall bring you to face it."
Amiri tightens her grip on her sword.
"What are those potions?"
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Doubtful looks around uncertainly. "What here? In your office?"
He frowns. "Though I suppose its not. Not really."
He sighs, but steels himself for what's coming, knowing full well it will be worse then they think.
He picks up the two new potions, takes a sniff of one, winces slightly, before putting it down, and sniffing the second.
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Dunkel claps his hands together.
"Ahl'right! 'Bout time we square off with th' archivist! Reminds me o' th' time me two cousins faced off with a squad o' darkfolk in' th' darklands when they were diggin' an easterly tunnel. Good project tha' one, good benefits fer th' whole diggin' team!"
Dunkel contemplates the items they've uncovered.
"'opefully none o' th' items are cursed n' were really given to us by this archivist-fella'."
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Jair draws again her wand of bless and uses it on her comrades.
May be we can still obtain informations about all this or even convince it or him to release Wulessa before going to fight ?
She says before adding The more we know about this, I would not like that by killing the Archivist we destroy the Archives.
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This has all happened very fast. Hours/level buffs are still up, but rounds/level are gone. Minutes per level would vary depending on level and when they were cast
Dunkel ID's a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (CL 8).
As Jair (I believe) pointed out earlier, the DC for pearls of power is way higher than it should be, so I don't think we'll be able to ID that.
The scroll with Wulessa's face has disappeared, as if it never really existed...
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Wulessa will identify the potions as blur, cure moderate, and enlarge person. The rope is a rope of climbing, though she doesn't know where the pearl came from.
Once you're all prepared, she grabs hold of both sides of her tapestry and pulls down. As it falls, the rest of the room collapses with it.
The room becomes a tunnel to oblivion. The smooth glass walls stretch fifty or sixty feet, ending abruptly in a maw open to the void. The crystalline structure floating in the void’s heart somehow hovers mere feet away from the tunnel’s end. From this close, it resembles a torus of jagged crystals, slowly revolving around a core of flashing light and mist. A rapid series of images flashes over the glass walls.
The archivist looks like you, except with four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and your head replaced with a crystalline torus floating above the shoulders. It carries a spear.
The archivist looks like you, except with four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and your head replaced with a crystalline torus floating above the shoulders. It carries a spear.
The archivist looks like you, except with four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and your head replaced with a crystalline torus floating above the shoulders. It carries a spear.
The archivist looks like you, except with four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and your head replaced with a crystalline torus floating above the shoulders. It carries a spear.
The archivist looks like you, except with four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and your head replaced with a crystalline torus floating above the shoulders. It carries a spear.
You see a number of familiar faces from your life. Friends, family, mentors, all of whom look disappointed in you.
The archivist strides out of the void, standing before you with its spear drawn.
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Dunkel looks at the images, his mouth agape.
"Granpappy Digga! Ah've been doin' mah best! Ah' mean ah've barely been away from th' clan Pathfindin'!"
Shaking the images from his head, Dunkel turns to the strange creature in front of him.
Dunkel takes a step forward and tries to cool himself down at the disturbing imagery by unleashing some heat.
Dunkel holds his waraxe ready should the creature close and calls out to his companions.
"'old back! It's got four arms, let it come t' us!"
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As the scene shifts once again, and they find themselves facing the archivist, his companions will, for the first time, see Doubtful smile.
A strange smile of grim satisfaction spreads slowly across his features as he observes the scene before him, as if his entire life to this point had suddenly been validated.
"I knew it." He mutters to himself. Then, completely ignoring Dunkel's warning to hold back, he suddenly darts towards the archivist.
Still grinning like a madman, he circles around to his right and tries to catch the creature with one booted foot. "I knew it!" He repeats more emphatically, almost shouting.
, for damage plus DC 15 Fort save or stunned for one round
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The flames Dunkel unleashes don't seem to touch the creature.
Its spear darts out at Doubtful as he approaches.
However, it does reel from Doubtful's blow. The flashing images all disappear, the glass walls returning to their normal shifting patterns of black and blue.
Arcane: 2: SR
Martial: 60 HP, Blindfight, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Power Attack, Step Up
Divine: SR
Points:
Damage Taken: 4
"What in the Nine Hells is this thing!? I see my friends, and its body is my own, albeit with four arms, and a strange, crystalline head..."
Amiri steps forward, and brings down her now (literally!) *huge* sword upon the creature.
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Imrana stares at the image of the Great Nex wordlessly, her eyes darting about in tiny rapid movements as her mind searches for the best reaction. She knows that the Great Nex is still hidden away from the Material Plane, and it was certainly just another trick, but she had to stop and think whether or not there was even the slightest this could be him trying to communicate to her.
As the archivist is stunned and the image goes away, Imrana finds her answer.
"That was not very nice of you!"
She moves to get a clear shot, then points a finger at the strange creature and fires off a ray of sickly green energy.
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Damage 41
Amiri's powerful blow cuts deep into the creature, causing the glass bricks around you to abruptly shift patterns.
The creature does drop its spear, though you see a number of slightly smaller ones on its back.
Imrana's ray fizzles out before it can get close to its target. She recognizes it as not a true aeon, but a fragment of its consciousness, functioning in many ways like an unfettered eidolon. You do suspect that its similarity to you is more than cosmetic, and that it has taken on some of the characteristics of you and your companions thanks to exposure to your minds. It's clearly showing resistance to many arcane spells. What it's absorbed from your companions with other talents remains to be seen. Generally creatures of this sort would have evasion, and be more susceptible to effects that target the mind than the body.
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Dunkel shakes his head in exasperation at Doubtful's zeal.
"Ach! Dun ye listen 'coz? Ye went from Doubtful t' Certainful n' th' blink o' an eye!"
Dunkel approaches warily, never certain he can trust a creature that doesn't burn to fire but rests slightly as he realizes the creature seems to have been stunned by Doubtful's attack.
"Ach, ah' change mah statement, well done lad!"
Dunkel works to "bury the hatchet" with the archivist-o-lon, so to speak.
for
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Doubtful still seems to be having some sort of personal ephiphany, as he continues swinging at the strange creature with abandon and dodging with unusual quickness.
"I knew I should have stayed in Kravenkus!" He says to himself, as he he lashes out with one fist.
, for damage.
The blow completely misses, but he doesn't seem fazed in the list.
"And I knew that wasn't going to hit!" He continues unabated, as he spins with the miss and brings one foot around to try to land another blow.
, for damage.
The second blow is much more accurate.
"And I did know that sandwich was going to be no good." He says, as he seems to come to his senses finally, looking around himself panting.
"But the soup was probably no good either." He adds with finality, as if that was the most important observation of all.
Amiri looks around doubtfully, before hazarding:
"Maybe this means it is over. Wulessa? Are you still around?"