A decision is made to delay departure until time can be taken to prepare more thoroughly. After much thought, Mevakh decides he will stay behind, both to protect the colony and to spend more time with the angel. The wall is repaired, a watch is set and the night passes without further disruption.
The next morning an impromptu meeting is held and the colonists give their input on priorities, with the Mayor, who is looking more hale and hearty, moderating the discussion. With the party's input, it is decided to construct a watch tower to keep a better eye on the land outside the wall, then to work on a Town Hall that will double as a temple and Mayor's residence, as well as temporary shelter for the colonists to bunk in. With the consensus of the group, the colonists break to head to work. The mood seems hopeful, as the prospect of building the colony themselves seems to have inspired the spirits of the workers. No more the spooky remains of a forgotten lost colony, now the colony seems a thriving, living thing.
At sunrise the following morning you awaken refreshed and ready to head out. Fortunately the trail is still easily followed, as if the Bone Takers had made no effort to camouflage their efforts. You trek into the jungle, pausing periodically for rest and water. A long night is spent beneath the jungle canopy, during which strange noises and glowing eyes in the dark are seen, but no hostile attacks come. The second day out sees you emerge from the jungle to the rapidly rising series of hills and highlands at the base of the great mountains you have seen from the distance. Here the trail meanders up into the mountains and suddenly disappears at the base of a large, mossy stone that towers 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide at its base. It rests against the base of the mountains and the cliff behind it heads nearly straight up, with very little handholds to be seen.
Having enjoyed the uneventful trek the jungle, yet with her mind still focused on the task at hand, Catila turns to their furry companion with her question "Ambassador Surrek, have you ever seen this stone before, or been to this part of the Land? As well, it would be most helpful if you would tell us everything you know about the Bone Takers, if you please."
As she listens to the tiny predator's reply, she hums a song to increase the party's attention and perception, and then studies the rock as best she can.
Perception:
Leralt cast a spell to detect magic, then looks around taking his time. Meanwhile speaking to the others.
"Is it just me or does this just scream trap. I dont expect tricksters to be this foolish. It seems like we are being lured here."
Lena stares up the huge rock and the vast mountain range beyond, wondering what dangers await there.
Examining the rock:
Scanning the area:
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Songan frowns as they reach the base of the mossy stone, his eyes following the edge of it as it rises in front of the cliff. "That wall would be hard for anyone to climb...even an experienced climber. And the trail disappearing at the base of this rock...it's very suspicious." he remarks, closely examining the base of the large boulder for any sign of drag marks or other indicators that it may have recently moved. He also joins Lena in examining the stone itself to see if it matches the surrounding stone or if there is anything unusual about it.
"The tunnel is many Surreks long, but not so bad. You crawls slow, you make it, then tunnel opens up and big people can walk. Smells like her," He points at Catila, " and like metal. Distant metal smell. Also, is no People nearby. Surrek finds smells, tells People stay off, is dangerous. Is old smells, but kept up. You want come?" Surrek sits up on his haunches expectantly and almost excitedly.
"Well, it's intriguing enough, and there doesn't seem to be any other way in. Who's first?"
"Lead on, Ambassador Surrek!" Catila says before heading in after him. She knew she would have greater mobility than the others in the tight space so to her, logic dictated she go first. Besides, she certainly wouldn't want to get stuck behind one of the tall folk if they got stuck.
Squeezing into the tunnel, you follow the diminutive weasel through a darkened tunnel, lit only by the strange fae fire that the weasel seems able to summon. You crawl through mud and dirt for about 50 feet, emerging dirty and cramped into a large chamber that soars to a height of 30 feet high and is about 10 feet wide and 30 feet long. At the far end is a perfectly round 10 foot wide tunnel, smooth as silk, that seems to descend slightly. A strange greenish glow comes from within.
Surrek pauses. "Smells like metal down there. Metal and strange smells. Not like Surrek has smelled before." He creeps to the edge of the tunnel and suddenly lets out a yelp as he slides down the tubular tunnel, unable to stop his progress! The tunnel twists to the left and he is soon out of sight, though his yelps and curses echo back to you.
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Songan stretches mightily when he finally emerges from the cramped tunnel, his feline eyes adjusting quickly to the increased darkness. He gives a low whistle at the size of the chamber, moving to one of the side walls to examine it and see if it seems like a natural formation or if it has been excavated.
Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Surrek creeping closer to the edge of the tunnel, giving an idle warning while he examines the stonework. "I'm not certain that's a good ide-" begins the catfolk, cut off by the sudden yelp of their new friend as he slides down the tunnel. "Surrek!" he calls after him, immediately leaving behind his study of the wall's structure and dashing after Surrek, throwing himself into the tunnel, hand on the hilt of his longsword as he follows their diminutive companion.
[spoile=Knowledges]It definitely looks artificially made. It's far too smooth to be natural.[/spoiler]
With a leap into the tunnel, Songan finds himself sliding down through mid-air, not landing on the side of the stone as he expects. It takes him a moment, but he rights himself into a mostly upright posture and finds the plunge actually kind of enjoyable. The tunnel arcs this and way and that, heading ever downward, with the flying Surrek just at the edge of his sight for most of the journey.
After what seems like hours, but is probably only about 30 seconds, the tunnel levels out and Songan finds himself ejected gently into a room made entirely of metal. Silvery metal walls, ceiling and floor make up the 20 foot square room, with benches on the walls leading to the tube and a circular, spiral-closed door opposite of him. Surrek has also landed gently and is making nervous clicking sounds as he investigates what seems to be vents beneath the benches.
Leralt keeps his spell active trying to find the source of the magic. When Surrek and then Songan go down he calls out.
"So you dead or what?"
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"Why doncha come down and see for yourself?" comes the reply as Songan slowly looks around the room, trying to take it all in. How in the world did such a placce get on this island? The entire situation they were in just got weirder by the day. Slowly, he looks about the room, even sniffing the air for anything unusual, before examining the metal itself to see if he can identify it.
His curiosity finally getting the better of him, Krupt gives a sigh, adjusts a few things on his apron, gets on his belly and begins wriggling into the hole.
Leralt figured if Gellius was to die before him, he would have little regret. He sits then slides down. Once in the room he looks the place over with his detection spell.
Hearing the shouting coming from the tunnel, Lena sees no other choice but to follow her companions. She wriggles through the tunnel, using a quick light spell to show the way. At the slope, Lena sighs and slides down joining the others in the strange metal room.
The trip down the tunnel is exactly as it was for Songan, strangely gentle and easy. Upon emerging into the cubical metal room, you all become aware of a low humming sound coming from the complex around you. Green lights illuminate the room, glowing with a cool steady light.
Surrek claws at one of the vents, using what appears to be small piece of metal to pry at them. He finally gives up, letting out a long suffering sigh. "Is not moving. No good for Surrek. This place make Surrek feel uneasy. Like spinning too fast."
As you explore the room, one of you happens to pass within 5 feet of the spiral-closed door. With a soft hiss, the metal hatch opens, blossoming inward to reveal a twenty foot long, 10 foot wide tunnel. There is another hatch at the far end and a hatch on either side of the tunnel.
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Songan's ears flatten against his head as he examines the metal in the chamber around him, a sign of his apprehension.
"The smithy work here is...is incredible. Beyond anything I've ever seen. Look. There are barely any seams in the plating...and it seems to be made completely of skymetal..or something like it. I didn't know such a quantity of any kind of skymetal even existed in one place. It's like...it's like if this were an entire room made of adamantine or noqual or something. I'm unsure if any blacksmith on the whole of Golarion has skill enough to work skymetal like this. What's more, come and put your hand to the wall. Focus. Feel that? There's...there's some kind of thrumming beat, almost like a massive heart powers whatever this facility is."
"I cannot speak for everyone, but this place..it is at once fascinating, awe-inspiring, and frightening. What power could have put such a place here?" he asks, both himself and the others.
As if on cue, the door at the other end of the room hisses open, causing the Catfolk to jump nervously. "Doors that open themselves? What new madness is this?" he asks, looking down the tunnel without going through the doorway.
"Calm yourself, Songan. It's nothing more than simple magic, most likely. The most elementary of spells can make objects move on their own, and with greater skill an arcanist can make such magics permanent. Mere parlor tricks."
He looks around at the architecture, his eyes calculating.
"However, this place is...as you said, quite fascinating." Krupt gives a twirl of his cane, gesturing at the now open door. "Shall we proceed? After you."
Leralt gives the foolish man a look.
"I would remind you that "mere parlor trick" could be used to cause a room to crush those with in or a doorway to slam shut on those attempting to move thru. Their is nothing simple about magic, more so the magic here. Kindly keep your assumetions to yourself."
He points a hand towards the door.
"That is unless your going to be the one putting those assumetions to the test. Then by all means, after all you are confident in your knowledge are you not."
He could understand Songan, but to dismiss what you knew nothing about was not something he would ever understand, nor would he want to. He looks towards the door's magic to find out its nature.
Can I make spellcraft rolls or even with a nat 20 its beyond Leralt's ability to know?
"You're letting magic envy get the better of you, Leralt. Why would anyone put magic on a door to make it open when someone approaches, only to have it crush them as they try to walk through? Someone as agile as Songan might leap through before the door shut. Would it not be a more sound approach, if one wanted to keep out unwanted visitors, to simply magically ward the door against opening?"
Krupt smiles, leaning on his cane.
"I'll certainly defer to your superior knowledge. By all means, complete your investigations of this secretly murderous door."
"Let's stay focused" Lena cuts in, giving Leralt and Gellius each a hard look. "Whatever this place is made of, be it magic, expert smithing or something else entirely, our mission remains the same"
Peering down the newly opened corridor, Lena secretly wonders to herself about this strange place and what awaits them deeper within. She calls upon the talents Abadar has blessed her with along with the keen elven eyes of her father to pick out any important details at the end of the corridor.
Cast sift- to search the end of the corridor.
Leralt does not bother to look his way, making better use of his time.
"Well for one a door can be attuned to anything from a certain race to a symbol. Only with the "key" could someone pass safely while others would trigger the trap, also simply because it appears open does not make it so. Their are a number of magic's that can not be seen, that does not make them any less effective. While I would like to properly school someone who is quick to speak but slow to act on their words. It seems their are a number of translucent sections, nearly invisible, thru out the place."
He points to the ones he found as well as where their are none but rather palm sized squares of pale green at chest height near the other doors.
"This may very well not be magic at all, or at least no completely, in which case it is but a component of a greater design."
Taking a moment to let the information sink in to the others, he speaks once more to Gellius.
"Well are you going to go thru? You seemed so confident about your words a moment ago. You do not have to wait on me. If you are so well informed then I differ to your expertise. Lead on or were you mistaken?"
His eyes bore into the man, very much tired of all his talk and lack of results.
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Songan speaks to the group, not responding to either of the other two's feuding, but trying to direct the conversation elsewhere.
"Regardless of if it is magic or some other...force..that made the door open, we should remain here until Catila joins us. It would not do for us to leave our good detective behind."
With a small plop the diminutive detective comes out of the strange chute and lands in the room with the others "Ha ha! I must say, that was most interesting and f...hello! And what do we have here??" she finishes, looking around in fascination at the strange room
As Catila lands in the new room, Lena moves down the newly opened corridor. This area is clean, almost supernaturally so, so there are no tracks or markings on the floor to be seen. However, Lena's quick glance, coupled with her spell, do allow her to notice a patch in the wall, near the floor that is of a different color/texture from the wall itself. It appears to be made of bone.
From behind the door to the left on the corridor, a strange sound begins: a repetitive buzzing, followed by a thump, after which the buzzing ceases and a shuffling noise follows. The buzzing is not terribly loud, but it must have been louder inside the closed room.
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With Lena's entry into the corridor showing that it is apparently not trapped or otherwise going to do them harm, Songan cautiously advances into the corridor after her, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow to the strong. His ears perk as he listens intently to the sound from behind the door, trying to discern what it could be.
Krupt glances at Leralt and raises an eyebrow, then gives a twirl of his cane and follows Songan.
Even more fascinated by this room than the one above, Catila spends a few moments looking around and then follows the others into the passageway. Peering closely at the bone patch, and trying to make what of it that she can, she stands up straight again and looks to the others and gestures to the door in a 'Well, let's open it and see!' movement.
Catila steps toward the door as the others fan out to hear the strange noise. However, without warning, the door slides upward, disappearing into the ceiling and revealing a pale male gnome standing in the doorway. He is dressed not in tribal clothes, but in a rather simple jumpsuit made of a pale blue fabric. When the door opens, his eyes go wide and his nostrils flare at the sight of the party standing there in his hallway. He inhales sharply, clearly intending to scream or speak.
Initiative:
Catila
Gellius Krupt
Songan
Lena
Leralt
Although her first natural instict is to smile at a fellow Gnome, Catila quickly recalls the reason they are here in this strange (but fascinating!) place and instead casts a spell on the Gnome before her, forcing him to relive all the evil that's he's done.
SA: Casts Guilt Will save DC15
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Songan's eyes go wide when the gnome walks through the doorway, dressed in some kind of strange one-piece blue outfit. Worried about what the gnome might be about to do, seeing he is clearly about to make some kind of noise, Songan moves forward with a flash, attempting to start a grapple and clap his hand over the gnome's mouth, preventing him from making the noise while also whispering low, "We are not here to harm you! Please do not shout! We are but explorers! There is no cause for alarm!".
Reacting more on instinct and muscle memory than anything else, Lena raises her loaded crossbow in an instant and let fly a sharpened bolt, catching the oddly-dressed gnome off guard.
vs flat footed AC
inc. sneak attack
Init:
21 Gnome
19 Lena
17 Catila
9 Dr Krupt
8 Songan
6 Leralt
Lena's snap crossbow shot pops off, but the sudden shot goes off prematurely, ricocheting off the metal floor and disappearing into the room beyond. Catila's spell shoots off , but the spell doesn't seem to affect the gnome. Songan dives forward, grappling the gnome and clamping his hand over his mouth to stifle any sounds he may make.
Leralt shakes his head.
"They say my diplomatics skills leave something to be desired yet I never attacked anyone unprovoked."
This gnome was different from those they met so far, could be another group. Seemed everyone forgot that, not to mention they had entered someone elses home. Was it surprising they would panic and attempt to scream, the group looked like a right bunch of theives. He uses his powers to weaken the gnome then speaks.
"We have had some bad encounters with the bone takers. So if you are one or not our reaction should be expected."