”There has to be some way. I’d be happy to try to come up with some way to get it home. It’d probabaly mean studying plenty of old dusty tomes...and that sounds awesome!”
Almost the entirety of this floor is open. A ramp rises from the second floor along the southwestern wall of the chamber. In the center of the room is a vast tank of water with transparent walls and no floor that extends down to the story below. A single transparent door with an opaque handle is built into the eastern face of the tank.
Just east of the tank is a much smaller transparent chamber with a similar door. This one contains no water, however, and a blanket is hung casually over the open door. On the floor nearby are some damp blankets, and pots and bowls that contain picked-over rations and the remains of partially eaten fish.
Across the room near the smaller tank two humans looking sickly, stand at the ready looking worried.
Grateful at seeing some prisoners. Deth steps forward and greets them. "Hello. Are you part of the Bountiful Venture Expedition?"
Momo follows behind Deth. "Colonists?" Momo states aloud, unsure. The ranger doesn't say anything else because her diplomatic and negotiating skills are below subpar.
As they watch the recording, Delia scribbles notes in her journal quickly in the event something happens to the gems or they are single use. "This is fascinating! Can you imagine the lore we will continue to find on this island. It amazes me that no one else had uncovered this before us!" She looks particularly giddy at all their discoveries since entering the building.
She joint the others above and stops when she sees the humans. "Friends! We have come to return you back to the colony! Can you tell me if there were any more of you here?" She notices their worried looks. "Come, we will not hurt you. The beast in charge of this tower is dead, as are the automated contraptions set to guard it."
As you get a little closer you see that their skin has become transparent, revealing muscle tissue, organs, and sinew threaded by spidery veins and capillaries pulsing with blood. Something has transformed the young woman into a grotesque horror.
The man beside her with shield and sword looks to her and relaxes his guarded posture to follow hers. His once-thick hair lies damp and plastered to his skull, all the more horrific due to his lack of visible skin. The only evidence of skin is a glistening patina coating flesh never meant to be exposed.
"The Bountiful Venture Expedition? I wish we had never come to that accursed group! If you're looking for whats left of its colonists we're here. If there are others left I don't know what their fate might be. I'm Eliza Haniver, this man with me is Rayland Arkley."
They seem a little more at ease with you as they get a clear look.
Swallowing bile at the horror of their transformation Deth offers. "I'm a doctor. Do you mind if I examine you?" Then he realizes that there may still be danger lurking. "Umm. What did this to you? Is it still around?? he asks, looking around.
”It is a pleasure to meet you two. I’m Nininox Ambershale XIV, nephew of Nininox Ambershale XII. We found what was left of Uncle Nini downstairs. Did the same creatures that murdered him torture you as well?”
Finally being face to face with the possible instigators of a lot of the first colonists troubles, Aenon finds himself uneasy about the whole situation. "How can you be so sure you're the last ones? This tower hardly seems large enough to fit that many people." Aenon injects, desperately trying to find some scenario where all the colonists aren't dead. "There has to be some other facility. Like that Compass the recording spoke of."
That hadn't occurred to Deth. "What happened to everyone else?" he asks the survivors. "This can't be all who survived from the entire expedition."
Eliza looks at you, and slowly gives a nod to Deth, "Rayland, keep an eye on him."
"We're all that's up here, trapped as much by our condition as the creatures below." She seems startled by all the questions and shrinks back a bit. Rayland tenses his shield raising up slightly and the grip on his sword tightening.
She leans heavily on the spear she holds, looking far more tired than when you first came up the ramp. Perhaps her fiery spirit was more an act? "Its hard to explain, I was exploring some ruins not far from here and learned about this tower from a pair of talking statues. They directed me here. I found this place empty and opening something up here but things go fuzzy after that. "
She frowns clearly struggling with something. "From what I pieced together from Raylands story after he was brought here by those fish men, sounded like they were being round up. Except they never brought anyone else here. That big guy, the one you must have fought to get up here, mocked us every chance he could get. Telling us how they took everyone."
As she talks her posture becomes a little more relaxed and accepting of the situation. Even Raylnad lets his shield arm droop and relaxes a little as well. Well with the two of us up here he was hard pressed to cause any real trouble. Oh please say you have some food. apart from a few scraps here and there, we managed to get we've had ration our small foodstuff they didn't take from us. If not for that elemental we probably would have starved. "
Deth seems stymied by their condition. "I've never seen anything like this before." he exclaims before realizing that his bedside manner might leave something to be desired.
"So there may still be hope!" Aenon nods. As Eliza mentions food, he pulls out a pair of field rations from his backpack and hands them both to her, still clearly distrustful of Rayland.
"You say your condition keeps you here, how so?" Aenon asks as the pair grab the rations.
With the gift of fresher food, she and Rayland relax more looking less like frightened animals and more like weary prisoners.
"Whats left of our skin must remain damp. If we tried to escape we would likely die from the attempt."
She gestures to the damp blankets, This is the best mundane means to keep things bearable we've been able to come up with.
She hands one of the rations to Rayland they begin to eat ravenously.
Deth offers some goodberries to the colonists. "They may not taste like much, but they have a complete day's worth of nourishment." he adds in way of explanation. "So you were not captured at the same time. Who was captured when." In particular he asks Eliza. "Was Rayland already a captive when you came to?"
Momo observes and listens to the dialogue. So, they were prisoners... Doesn't excuse what Rayland has done. We need to confront him about it - when he isn't holding a weapon.
She thanks you for the enchanted food, I was here first, maybe a week later Rayland was dragged in here. He seemed confused to find me here since he said I had returned to the colony.
Rayland nods at this. We thought she had returned but shortly after is when things began to change. Next thing I know I was here and she told me how she never made it back to the colony."
Eliza suddenly seems to realize what your presence means. Are all of the fish men dead? I'm impressed. Thanks to you and praise Eristil for this small mercy. Do you have some means to take Rayland and I back to Talmandor’s Bounty?"
Deth turns to Rayland. "So exactly, how did you come here, Rayland." Although he doubts that the shapeshifter is disguising himself as a prisoner, he needed Rayland on record as to how he got captured.
"It would seem our shapeshifting spy is somehow still alive then." Aenon ponders out loud. "We are going to have to find some way of dealing with that at some point."
Momo's eyes dart back and forth from her companions to the prisoners. How is this going to go down? I guess it's good they haven't raised their weapons on us yet.
Eliza, or something that looked like her, asked to meet with me in private to discuss what she had discovered. Something happened, and the next thing I know I was here, looking like this with Eliza. We managed to keep those fish men at bay, they aren't fond of steel, but have been stuck here for months."
’While we are on the subject of the colony falling appart, how about you tell us what happened to Una, Barnabus and Dulin? We found a letter claiming they were dead in some squabble, but nothing about how or why.’ Aenon inserts, carefully scrutinizing what remains of their faces.
Deth is very interested in this answer. Something about there story doesn't ring true.
Eliza seems genuinely upset by the news, " Perhaps they were the lucky ones, but I doubt Rayland had anything to do with this. He's been here, trapped like me for months. "
Rayland looks to Eliza and frowns at the news.
"I suspected as much. But I can't say anything about their fate. I don't know what happened to them. "
Not only is Eliza faking her response but she seems to be choosing her words very carefully. Her behavior is strangely off-putting as well, Like a puppet that's moving right before the strings pull.
Momo quietly observes, letting the more socially-talented party members converse with the survivors.
Hmm, their story seems to check out. We should take them back to camp.
Deth suspiciously eyes Rayland, but ultimately can find nothing to definitely contradict the man's story. He extends his hand to shake theirs. "I'm Deth Tobrin, by the way. Pleased to meet the two of you, I just wish it was under different circumstances. We are not the leaders of the expedition, and I hope you can understand that we will need to inform our leader of your presence before we reintegrate you into the colony. Just a formality, but I propose that we take the two of you to just outside the township, and then bring our leader out to meet you. I'm sure she will be delighted." He turns to Nox and Aenon. "Can we free the elemental just by smashing a rune or something? He's been of great help to these two and one good turn deserves another."
Sense Motive
”Yes, Let’s free the elemental, if we can. It’d be terrible to be trapped in this place forever. And then we need to collect Uncle Nini so we can give him a proper burial.”
Aenon frowns at Raylands response, but can’t quite nail down the lie. ’We should
also try to reverse whatever has happened to these unfortunate souls.’ He says, gesturing to the two. ’Deth, Nox, do you think there could be some spell at work to keep them like this?’
Nox casts Detect Magic and scabs the area, looking for any hints he could come up with about things.
There are several strong auras coming particularly from the water tanks.
Both Rayland and Eliza carry magical equipment and radiate moderate auras.
Know. Arcana
”There is conjuration and abjuration magic on them. It isn’t particularly strong stuff, though. I don’t know if it would be strong enough to cause their condition.”
"I do not trust that man" Aenon quietly parts to the others while Rayland is busy eating. "There is something off about his words, but I cannot figure out what.
Momo looks at the survivors.
Deth bows the inevitable and casts Detect Magic. He frowns. "I really never studied the intricacies of spells." he says as he is confused by the bewildering array of magical energy he sees.
Delia takes a moment to also examine the magics around both Rayland and Eliza, as well as the room. She frowns at her findings and whispers to the others. "The also have a moderately power aura of enchantment about them. That is odd, perhaps they are under a sort of mind control. Also, the tank is radiating powerful illusionary magics." While the two of eating, she walks over to the tank and begins to examine it more closely, running her hands along the exterior to see if the visual matches tactile senses...
As you approach the tank both step between you and it. Eliza raising her arms defensively trying to ward you away. "Best not to mess with it, whatever was in there before left a nasty surprise inside. I would hate for you to trigger it. That's why we put that blanket over it."
"A trap? I'm great at disabling traps! Let me take a look at it," Momo offers. The ranger extends her hand in conversation, "besides, we wouldn't want to leave anything dangerous here. More colonists could get hurt."
Revealing it will activate the magic, as long as it is covered there is no danger. If we are going to leave, let's get on with it. I don't want to stay here another moment longer than we must. Or at least let us move down below before you begin tampering with it."
Deth seems confused by Eliza's words. "Wait, why all this talk about a trap. You never mentioned this before. Just what exactly does this trap do." he asks as he gestures for Momo to go ahead and take a look, but then seems struck by a thought. "Momo, whatever traps are here are probably not triggered by constructs. Perhaps 'Scuttles' could take a look."
"Rayland, come if they want to be foolish and tamper with spells there's no need to allow it to hurt us."
She gestures to the ramp, taking a moment to grab the damp blankets and unless you move to stop her will lead Rayland down to the Library.
”Wait just a second. Stay with us. If there are shapeshifting spies about, it’s important for all of us to stay together for safety and all. We will all remain with the group, I must insist.”
Aenon is about to join the rescuees down in the library when a slight twitch in Eliza makes him stop in his tracks. ’What exactly did they leave behind? And what sort of creature was it anyway?’
Delia watches Eliza and Rayland cautiously. "A trap, sure. Thank you for letting me know about that before touching it." She shares a look with her companions, clearly not believing what the 'woman' just said.
At this point, Deth loses his temper with Eliza. "There are dangers you don't know about down there. And we are trying to help you." He steps between Eliza and Rayland and the stairs. "Unless you give me a good reason otherwise, we are going to remove the blanket and see what it conceals. What exactly is the trap and what does it do."
"You want to see it then fine, you'll see what it is. Forget warnings and cautions, forget the people who covered it for a reason! No, you just can't leave any of this well enough alone, can you?