Marta pulls up her crossbow and watches the shadowed figures warily. Qadathra mimics her action with the Rod of Wonder in his hand. Myrdon looks at one of the figures (E) and makes a hand gesture; he crosses the room and E follows at his heel.
Vladek suddenly comes into view as he activates the ioun stone he received from Marta. Qadathra is happy to finally be able to identify his companion again.
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“Did anyone else receive a ‘head-message’ from an entity called Liane?”
Luisila moves towards J to confirm he’s dead.
If he’s not and she can confirm he is an enemy, she will coup de grace him. Once that is done, she ✨detects magic while searching the body and surrounds for ID and loot.
“Vladek, do you need healing? What about Aegis and anybody else?”
She frowns as she begins counting heads, index finger bobbing in accompaniment. “Fendahl, where’s Kirrah?”
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"I went right for the ioun stones as soon as the trouble began. It was a disturbing thing watching all these shadows duke it out knowing that some of them were you. I thought there might be something that could help in the room to the north but all I found there was an even more disturbing column of trapped and screaming angels."
Marta visibly shudders and the look on her face is complex, showing anger, confusion, indignation, and a host of other emotions.
"If you do not mind, freeing them would be my first order of business. To me even more important than hunting down our quarry. Luisila, I do believe we each got a different guide, Mine's name is Rion, though he seems a bit clueless."
My apologies, but it's true.
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"I'm uncertain about the status of Aegis," Myrdon studies the shadowy figure of his companion with concern. "I thought I saw him attacked earlier, but it's frustrating not being able to see."
Even then, as he listens, something seem to have struck him. "Head message? Liane? Rion? Wait a minute. I summoned an erinyes to help, trusting that her ability to see through illusions and telepathy would help." He gestures towards the shadowy figure which is his summon.
He "thinks" at her, rather crossly. Was that you? Confusing my friends?
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“I suspected your summoned servant was a fallen angel, Myrdon. I experienced a few contradictory telepathic messages, but thought the one from ‘Liane’ seemed genuine.”
The cleric *shrugs* “Maybe not -- but it probably doesn’t matter.”
“More practically, I believe I witnessed Aegis and Vladek get attacked. Vlad are you injured? Is it possible the fighting was illusionary and any injuries suffered will disappear when we go into the next room?”
“If not, I can heal anyone who needs it there, but I think we should move on …”
Who is the dead person and what of these others?
“Would dragging the dead ‘un out of this chamber reveal their true form? Also, the column of tortured angels(?) sounds pretty bad. Any chance it’s an illusion?”
The shadowy figure "O" disappears.
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"I'm quite alright," Vladek assures Luisila as Qadathra happily flutters back onto his shoulder.
He then addresses Myrdon "Your Erinyes introduced herself to me - and, I had assumed, everyone else - when you conjured her, but other than that..." He takes a step back to look at the entire party. "...I know nothing of any other telepathic contact - why, not even my Qadathra could contact me on any more than the basest levels! - and this business with imprisoned, tortured angels is altogether news to me."
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"Roin says he is a volunteer and is a guide. I assume he is tied to the ioun stone I put in orbit. I'd be surprised if the rest of you with a stone are not contacted by your own guides."
Though you have not done much guiding yet. What can you tell me or how would you direct me? What exactly is your purpose, Roin?
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“Rion is an anagram of ‘iron’ … like ioun stone maybe?”
“Liane, if you’re our ally, I’ll need some proof. Where are VC Hestram, VC Shemis and VC Petulengro right now?”
“I'll show you and you can probably learn more.” Marta tries to usher Luisila though the northern exit.
“Alright, if everyone else is ready, I’m OK to move on.”
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"Fendahl, wait a minute. Did you say that you got Kirrah into your armor? Why didn't I think of this earlier?"
Myrdon whips out a scroll and mumbles some arcane stuff from it, and *poof* Aegis shrinks into a small stone figurine. He picks it up and stuffs it, securely, into a pouch.
"Alright, let's go!"
Having identified all of your party - with the exception of Eliza - you leave behind the prone figure and move through the false wall.
In the center of this small circular chamber rises a pillar of pale white ether. Within the column twist the ghostly forms of thousands of silently screaming angels. You cannot discern what material it is made of, but the arcane among you can tell that the magic in it is extremely powerful, well beyond what any of you are currently capable of wielding.
A passageway to the west contains a door, then turns north. To the east the passage opens into a room, the only part of which you can see currently is a thick. violet carpeting.
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Myrdon catches Marta's eyes glancing at him and shrugs. "Don't look at me! I know just as little about magic as you do. Possibly even less. My magic was... gifted to me." He looks slightly pained as he said this last part but it quickly passed.
That said, he does summon a basic cantrip to see auras of magic.
That done, he turns to his team again. "You know, I've recently figured out how to shape my magic to create a sensor, one that I can move at will and see through it. Shall I use that? Takes a while to cast though."
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"Go ahead. This seems like an ideal location for an advanced scout having been ambushed once already."
While they discuss things, Marta takes the opportunity to cast a Heightened Awareness, Tongues, and Shield of Faith on herself.
Though her guide can listen in on her thoughts, Mart decides to vocalize her request. "Say, Roin, you know where these passages go? Where would a miscreant go if they wanted to off a few of the Decemvirate?"
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“Unfortunately I don’t think there’s anything we can do for the angels except end the person responsible for their state.”
Luisila turns away white-faced from the column of under-glass screaming. “Once Hestram or whomever is taken down, perhaps VC Shemis or another member of the Ten can help them?”
The priestess ponders the buffing spells she has remaining, while the party waits for Myrdon’s eldritch scout to report back.
While Myrdon performs the ritual to summon his arcane eye, Vladek studies the column carefully. The magic is very powerful and very old; not artifact, but clearly created by someone of great talent and study and over a long period of time. Comparing the magic he sees layered on it to things he knows, and referencing his texts, he determines that this is most likely a prison of some sort, intended to prevent a soul from reaching its final destination. Such a prison would likely be used to hold someone who could, even after death, be a significant force that the owner of the prison can't allow to have any life or after-life.
His incantations complete, Myrdon closes his own eyes and sends the sensor around, reciting to the rest of you what he sees:
(A) To the east lies a huge ballroom. The nauseatingly gaudy decor of this room includes thick, violet carpeting and glass tables set upon white marble bases carved to resemble pyramids. The room is walled with crushed gold-leaf panels set in ebon-lacquered walnut frames and lit by six tremendous iron and crystal chandeliers. A closed door stands on the western wall.
(B) Around the corner in the west, one direction opens into an observatory. Broad windows facing north allow viewers a stunning view of Absalom and the surrounding isle. The walls are decorated with framed maps of the Inner Sea, sky charts, and various instruments of astronomy and navigation. Three dead Pathfinders lie strewn across the furniture, their throats slashed and their equipment stripped.
(C) In the other direction a long curving hallway encircles the perimeter of the tower. Numerous doorways throughout the hallway lead to various interior rooms. Light filters in from rows of narrow, steeply arched windows. Waxy, incense-scented torches set into sconces between the windows would light the corridor at night. A set of doors on the western side are marked with recognizable symbols representing the nations of Andoran, Cheliax, Qadira, Osirion, and Taldor.
(D) At the south end of this hallway is a slightly wider section. A towering stone totem pole serves as this hall’s centerpiece, its faces consisting of various jungle animals with anthropomorphic features. A bronze plaque set into its display base reads, “The Mwangi.” Framing the totem, and set upon a backdrop of colorfully patterned cloth, hang an arrangement of wooden masks and shrunken heads.
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Marta scowls and instructs her allies, "Roin says he is new and doesn't know much but that he was told he will learn as he goes. That he is not so much a guide as a 'sensor'. That means we are going to have to figure this out as we go along."
"The three Pathfinders. Suggest we examine that first. See if we can find any clues of what caused their demise."
"Most certainly. Since Hestram seems to be leaving a trail of bodies as he goes, that way does seem the most likely source of information, though he will have moved on anyway. I think one of the interior doors would be our best route if we are pursuing."
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“Roin says he is new and doesn't know much but that he was told he will learn as he goes.”
Like some kinda Numerian learning algorithm??
"Liane claims to be genuinely willing to help our cause."
Luisila looks distracted until Myrdon’s arcane scout delivers its report. “By all means let’s investigate the room containing the fallen Pathfinders.”
Looking into the observatory, you quickly determine that the dead Pathfinders all had their throats slit as if by a professional assassin. None show signs of much struggle, and all have been stripped of any equipment, money, or identification.
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“I get that everyone is keen to sort out Hestram while making sure we stay safe.”
“I don’t think we need to overthink this.”
“We’re a great team which has succeeded by interpreting the clues in our surroundings and then proceeding with our best guess.”
“When we’ve been wrong – we roll with it. Smashers *SMASH* battlefield controllers CONTROL and healers heal. I can’t see any reason to change what’s worked.”
“So let’s make a decision and Go. I vote to check the south door first, for the reasons Myrdon outlined.”
“What does everyone say?”
Myrdon dismisses the spell holding Aegis, and the bird reappears, clearly happy to be back to normal.
Luisila looks over the door and sees no evidence of danger. Fendahl opens it, and sees that the room is completely black, and the only light is what enters through the open door. Within the center stands a massive, metal-framed cylinder filled with strange black liquid. A plaque upon its base reads “The Orvian.” The strange liquid within the cylinder seems to devour any light and gives off an eerie chill.
Another door leads out of the room on the far side.
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Marta uses her detect alignment ablility to see if the nasty Orvian thing is aligned at all.
, +7 if monster related
Marta spots the poorly hidden secret compartment but says nothing, preferring to ignore it and move on.
"Let's keep moving. I don't trust that Orvian stuff. Let's keep our distance from it."