Spellcraft
Tragershen focuses on one of the carvings, let's say the one in the already-looted library. He tries to determine how to trigger the suspected teleportation. Maybe a command word? Touching? Some sort of key like the uncharged/non-magic wand we found in the treasury?
Tragershen suspects that placing one's left hand in the carving might well trigger its magic.
"I believe that if one were to touch the carving with their left hand, the conjuration effect that we've sensed would be activated. Conjuration magic of this sort is most commonly associated with teleportation effects."
Tragershen pointed omits that it is also the school of disintegration and summoning vile monstrosities.
“Perhapz it iz how monkz lost dere handz,” suggests Anzath. When all is said and done, she stands there, almost dejectedly, “So, ve are done here, yez?”
We Be need'n lot's more treasure!
He drinks his Heightened Awareness Extract.
The greedy dwarf begins to search for secret doors.
Talathel attempts to assist Bedlam in his search.
That morning, Aurora prepares three remove disease spells...
BE CURED, TALATHEL!
---
"Well, unless anyone wishes to volunteer to potentially lose a hand, as Anzath says... I do think we are done in this sector."
Seeing Bedlam's effort, Tragershen says "There is an easier way to do that, my friend. With magic, of course."
When he has some others to go with him, Tragershen will cast extended detect secret doors. It will last for twelve minutes. That should be enough to go around this level, I would think.
To Anzath he replies "I don't think they lost their hands to this. I believe the ring of left hands we found about the statue belonged to them. This is likely something else..."
Edit: also, there are no secret doors that you haven't already found.
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After the search for hidden places, Trag and the others regroup in the library. When the spell fails to turn up any more secret doors, Tragershen paces with visible and uncharacteristic agitation. After a minute, his gaze comes up and focuses on the left hand carving with a glint of madness in his eyes. "I must know. I must know." he mutters quietly, eyes fixed on the carving.
Finally, he stops. He locks eyes with Aurora who, as a fellow devotee of Nethys, probably understands better than anyone. The madness is still in his eyes, but the agitation is not. A peacefulness seems to wash over him and he smiles. "I must know." With that, he presses his left hand against the carving.
Bedlam watches the wizard; a similar look on his bearded face.
Tragershen: please choose from the five carvings listed above.
I should have mentioned that the one in the refectory has a strange, literally repulsive power. It is as if a strong wind blows against whoever approaches it and the wind gets stronger the closer you draw to the carving. The other four are more simple.
Adelie gives the sick party members a more thorough examination.
Adelie notices that the disease burden of the party is significant. It might be worth extra anti-disease spells.
Also, on further reflection, Aurora needs to check vs. Tal's other disease!
Bedlam drinks his Mutagen. And his Barkskin extract.
Adelie casts two of his three prepared Remove Disease spells:
Bedlam shakes the druids hand vigorously.
"Ve kan not lose de vizard," Anzath says aside to Talathel before running to tackle Tragershen.
He was going for the one in the looted library.
Lolygert follows the others through the 'hospital', not even noticing that some of his fellows were afflicted, until Adelie tends to them, idly looking down at his own arms and legs....he did hug everyone pretty close.
He scratches his head at Tragershen's fascination with the wall carvings, mutterning to Bedlam, "What's with the pictures?"
Tragershen rushes forwards and presses the handprint! A slight smile flits across his face as teleportation magic begins to tug at him... then, suddenly, he frowns. His look of alarm heightens, but soon he and all his equipment begins to shiver and shimmer. He disintegrates into motes of dust. The center of the hand turns into a small mouth that inhales the motes of the wizard.
Anzath rushes forward, just too late to prevent her friend's disembodiment.
"I am glad to be free of such an ailment..."
Talathel stops mid-sentence, horrified by Anzath's warning and the dawning realisation that moving will be too slow.
He moves anyway.
And sees Tragershen disintegrate!
He stops, staring at the spot, as if trying to reassemble Tragershen through sheer willpower.
Talathel sees, thinks, and remembers.
He sees that his friend is entirely gone now.
He thinks that this is conjuration magic, but he can't place it (and he already knew that).
He remembers... he remembers... he remembers nothing applicable to this particular situation!
Lolygert stares at the space Tragershen once stood, mouth agape, saying to no one in particular, "Uh....where'd he go?"
Anzath crashes headlong into the wall just beyond where Tragershen was just standing. Having come up empty, she gets to her feet slowly, rubbing the growing bump on her brow.
“Sh!t.”
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As Tragershen's pacing comes to a stop, Aurora returns his look with a single, slow nod. For Nethys.
— and flinches violently as the wizard is reduced to the motes of his essence. Much like Talathel, she too stares at the spot intently, perhaps even in disbelief.
Aurora: Your knowledge of the arcane mysteries reveals that the carving is older than the demonic infestation of the place. While you've certainly heard of disintegrating traps, you also wonder why on earth such a trap would be sitting in the dining room of a hospital.
Well, dat happened!
Aurora sighs. "Perhaps it is just a very unusual, very... er... exuberantly flamboyant... translocator..." She doesn't sound like she believes a word she's saying. Another sigh leaves her.
Adelie begins to reach out for the carving, but a growl and a quick tug at his sleeve from Mone stop him. He looks briefly irritated, then lowers his hand.
"Well, the wizard said it was probably teleportation magic, didn't he? So he's probably safe?"
His questions appear to be mostly directed at Aurora.
"He seemed... alarmed, as if something was wrong, when he began to shimmer."
You don't know where, or if, your wizard is.
It looks like everyone has responded, and nobody is going to attempt the left hand carving. Moving on, then?
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Anzath stares at the hand, her face twisted into a snarl as she too tries to puzzle it over.
"Sh!t," she exclaims again, "He had de eyez."
She turns to face the others but can't seem to look at them. She begins walking away from the library, with no certain destination in mind.
Talathel stares at the carved hand.
He then speaks out loud, finally. His tone is level and measured.
"I cannot tell if Tragershen was disintegrated or teleported. Can anyone else?"
He pauses briefly.
"Because if he was disintegrated, most of our loot went with him, and there is nothing more to be done. But if he was teleported, he and our loot are now elsewhere and *alone*."
"So I am debating a gamble. That our friend lives, despite his unwise decision, and that he may be in mortal peril. I am debating placing my own left hand on that patch."
Anzath stops and spins on her heel. She marches right up to Talathel and grabs him by the shoulders, shaking him a few times. "Vhat are you saying!?" she shouts incredulously, her voice shockingly unsteady compared to his, "Ve kan not lose you too! Ve do not know vhat happened to vizard, but I kan not let it happen to you!"
Lolygert head swivels between Talathel and Anzath, a frown creasing his broad forehead.
Finally he shrugs, and says simply "Wherever Tragershen went off to, we should follow. Let's join hands and all go together."
”I agree. Let’s do it.”
Bedlam begins to laugh uncontrollably. The mad(he did die) dwarf begins rolling on the ground.
Pile of green dust! Poof! No more elf! We be need'n nuther wizard.
Aurora glares at the dwarf. "Let's send Bedlam. If he and Tragershen both survived it, the dwarf's hollering will echo throughout the depths and lead us right back to them."
"Did he have any scrolls of sending on him? Or any way at all to communicate? Do you have any? If not, I'm fine with sending the dwarf. And possibly the rest of us."
Bedlam roars louder.
Don't be gitt'n me wrong. Me liked da elf. But green dust be green dust.
Mone positions herself between Adelie and the carving and growls again, loudly. All her fur bristles out.
We are not dying for this
"We have no method of long-range communication between each other, so if he is alive and if he has no method of re-translocating back here, then the only thing we can do is look for him. Or, he might be dead, disintegrated before us, the motes of him devoured by this foul place."
Aurora ceases leaning on her staff — which she has continued to use as a walking stick even with Yaza's new mace on her hip — raising it off the ground before slamming it back down onto the stone floor.
"We need to keep moving."
Bedlam stops laughing.
Not certain where? Durn elf could be gitt'n any place. If he be alive (me be doubtful).