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With the party reunited you move to look at one of the last obvious rooms in the complex.
Wall alcoves hold rust-covered stone pits into which the soupy liquid covering the floor spills. Along the north wall stands a complex gold and bone framework linking dozens of crystals set into the stone. Ancient, rusty blood covers bronze shackles bolted to plates in the floor near the mechanism.
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"This is clearly some sort of torture chamber. I would say we destroy it and leave well enough alone. But Amenopheus has stated this place will destroy itself soon, so I suggest we just let it happen if we see nothing of obvious value to our investigation here." Godfrey will take a few steps into the room in order to check for anything of significant note.
Amiri looks curious if there is more to see.
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Jair explores the room. Not much happens, until she gets close to the weird machine, when a strange distortion appears.
This is an entrance to an immersive mindscape, which can remove or retrieve memories.
Status: (time in ruins: ~38 minutes)
Numair (Fading Light-IC-MR) ; two negative levels; fly
Liminy Anti-plague
Theodore
Jair Anti-plague; (Ghoul Fever)
Amri (Fading Light-IC) (another save required)
Sir Godfrey
Amenopheus
Looking a bit bored Amiri nevertheless keeps a vigilant watch to keep the more learned pathfinders out of danger.
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It would take some time, but Liminy thinks the device could be changed to enter retrieval mode, although even entrying a memory could be dangerous. But it could also provide valuable information.
Status: (time in ruins: ~39 minutes)
Numair (Fading Light-IC-MR) ; two negative levels; fly
Liminy Anti-plague
Theodore
Jair Anti-plague; (Ghoul Fever)
Amri (Fading Light-IC)
Sir Godfrey
Amenopheus
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"I am not particularly keen with stepping into strange mind torture devices... despite your assurances Friend Liminy. If someone with experience in these things is feeling bold, they may do so. But I don't even know that I'd understand what's going on." Nor did he seem to particularly trust the device with the way he kept eyeing the machine and then his sword as if considering breaking it for safety.
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You enter the disturbance and find yourself outside. The outside though is not the same. The ruined town of Resa is whole, and nine houses stand nearby.
A figure - some ex-planar being emerges from the sands and introduces itself as "Marouf, guardian of this forgotten realm of memory. Who are you, and whose memories have you come to view?"
Amiri looks at Theodore and shrugs. "Not that I can see!"
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As you enter the doorway you find youself reliving the memory of a man. You are in a deep pit that is mostly filled with water. Your legs kick feebly trying to keep your mouth clear of the water. You call for help, but nobody comes. The sides are slippery and there seems no way out. Time and time again you try, and each time just slip further down, getting another mouthful of water. Then a figure appears on the rim of the pit. It throws... not a rope, but debris.... hitting your head, and resulting in another mouthful of the foul water. Kicking weakly you just climb to the surface to find the figure pouring buckets of water down to make it even deeper, sadly you sink further down...
You don't recall dying, but emerge back in the village. There Marouf asks "Did you find what you sought?"
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This is more like it. You are at a feast! It is magnificent. Dozens of your friends are about. Eating, drinking, being jolly. Then suddenly the doors crash open and a wave of horrible creatures dashes in.
The pour in from the doorways, from the windows and out of thin air. Quickly overwhelming your friends they turn from feasters into ... the feast itself. A Div comes straight at you and you frantically try to avoid its slashing claws as you try to escape...
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Jair feels even weaker after experiencing that dead as well. (two negative levels total at the moment).
When you come to, you are back in the village with Marouf. He asks "Was there little enough meaning in there for you?"
- once again you could return to the others, enter a door or talk further with the Shaitan.
Amiri shrugs and nods. "As you say, as you say!"
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Jair came back from her trip, very more pale than before.
Something wrong inside, there is a "Shaitan" but I almost sure that it's not what it pretend. He send me to terrific place without significance for what I asked. I'm not sure what to do next and even if there is some win to continue there.
What do you think?
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Liminy knows quite a bit about Shaitans. They are boastful and proud genies from the Plane of Earth with flesh of metal, gems, or stone. A shaitan stands about 11 feet tall and weighs roughly 5,000 pounds.
Immune to electricity they have a large variety of stone related magical abilities. Perhaps most formidable is their abilty to push their foes into solid rock. And then leave them there.
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Theodore enters the distortion.
You find yourself outside. The outside though is not the same. The ruined town of Resa is whole, and nine houses stand nearby.
A figure - some ex-planar being emerges from the sands and introduces itself "Good day, I am Marouf, guardian of this forgotten realm of memory. Who are you, and whose memories have you come to view?"
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"I'm just as curious about you though. Why do you guard this realm?"