Aaziroth and Oleander easily dispatch the fleeing elemental.
Once calm returns to the now air-filled chamber, the group notices that the black and white flicking panels occasionally show glimpses of strange machines and constructs of various types.
An illusion of the Red Redoubt continues to hover just above the skeleton's gloved hand.
As Oleander picks up the silvery, wire-mesh glove, the illusion of the Red Redoubt suddenly disappears. Nothing else unusual happens when the ranger dons the glove, but the panel is still unresponsive and the illusion is not recovered.
Undoubtedly, there are probably some interesting technological discoveries in this room if one could understand its advanced nature, but even Meleren is stumped on what these panels and buttons do.
Oleander otherwise finds nothing useful or valuable in the room. Perhaps the glove may have some effect on the illusion in the lower level room.
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"I agree. He took a lot of hits!"
"Hope you are okay? Sorry i could not be as of much use in the fights..."
She looks down
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At first, Kuaizi assures his companions healing is not necessary. "Oh, not to worry honorable companions. I will be fiiiiine." But his pitch sharply raises an octave on that last word as he winces, and he concedes, "Well. I fear I will be unable to protect you very well if I refuse." He retrieves a flask from one of his pockets, unstops it, and sips it down.
The monk's eyes, which appeared bulging and bloodshot after the airless experience, now appear normal. And testing his once-bruised ribs with a hand press, the monk seems untroubled by pain once more.
Kuaizi shakes his head, "Yuki Tsune-chan, dōu bùshì, xiànzài." He continues to speak to her in the same foreign language, with the best attempt at a smile a being with a beak can make (his cheeks crease, I guess), "Wǒ hěn hǎo! Bùyòng dānxīn bǎohù zìjǐ, yīnwèi wǒ huì bǎohù nǐ de."
The room is the same as you left it, complete with the three-dimensional illusion of the surrounding rooms floating above the center table's flat glass top.
The surrounding circle of rooms in the illusion move when manipulated with the silvery glove, allowing Oleander to slide one over to create a way out.
The loud, grinding sound of gears echoes through the chamber again, and the group discovers there is indeed a passage out via the way they came in.
Entering the room, you find numerous alcoves are set along the walls of this round chamber, but only a few are occupied by seemingly inactive guardians. A wide archway to the south stands open.
Near that archway, stands a tall robed construct made of metal rods and smooth plates. Its face is a transparent glass oval encasing a bizarre combination of whirring mechanical parts. As the group enters, the faceplate lights up with a swirl of disturbing images and light patterns.
Intiative
Yuki <= Up
Aaziroth <= Up
Oleander <= Up
Talwin <= Up
Kuaizi <= Up
Construct
Bandits
Every round the creature is in your field of vision, you need to make a Will save. Although this is rough, there are some things you can do to stack the odds in your favor:
Averting your eyes: You only have a 50% chance of having to make the Will save if you avert your eyes. However, the creature gains concealment from you that round.
Closing your eyes, wearing a blindfold, turning your back: You do not have to make a save if you do any of these things. However, the creature gets total concealment against you.
Even with those options, the creature can make a standard action to actively gaze at you, forcing a Will Save even if your eyes are closed or you made a save against it already on your turn.
Fascinate: A fascinated creature is entranced by a supernatural or spell effect. The creature stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the fascinating effect, for as long as the effect lasts. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. This particular fascinate effect does not automatically break if the creature approaches you.
Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the fascinated creature, automatically breaks the effect. A fascinated creature’s ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.
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Talwin calls on the power of Abadar to grant him added destructive power against his foe. He strides forward and jabs his spear at the hostile figure.
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Unaffected by the strange lights and disturbing images, Talwin makes his way into the room and spears the construct between two of its plates. The attack appears to do as much damage as it would to a living creature.
Looking away from the creature, Oleander moves forward and stabs it with the adamantine dagger found earlier, causing the construct to emit some light sparks. It remains a threat, however.
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"Caw! What strange creatures inhabit this strange place."
Trying not to look at the dizzying splash of images, Kuaizi flies into melee. He leaps up into a somersault past the creature's head so swiftly, he lands before most would realize what has happened. Taking a defensive stance without skipping a beat, the monk twirls his staff to block any incoming attacks, and gets a strike in too.
Strategically positioned, another of his teammates can now more easily flank the creature and quickly attack.
Uncertain whether this creature is sentient or not, Kuaizi remains cautious and gives it the chance to surrender, "Honorable image-flashing being, cease your mesmerizing attack now and we will not harm you!"
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Averting her eyes from the creature
Yuki just stands there enjoying the pretty light show
=^^=
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Kuaizi tumbles into the fray, and swings his bo staff at the creature, but, with the defensive posture, cannot get a good blow in.
Aaziroth also tries to smash the mesmerizing thing to bits, but cannot get a good hit on it thanks to his averted vision.
Staring blankly at the construct's faceplate, Yuki is fascinated by what she sees.
Meleren and Shechera slowly back away, unable to process having to deal with another strange construct and evidently far enough away not to have to worry about getting caught up in its gaze.
The construct turns to bear down on Oleander with its gaze attack, but the ranger is able to fight off the mind numbing effects!
Intiative (Round 2)
Yuki [Fascinated]
Aaziroth <= Up
Oleander <= Up
Talwin <= Up
Kuaizi <= Up
Construct
Bandits
The reach weapons of Talwin and Aaziroth both hit the construct and damage it further, while Oleander finds herself now hypnotized by the faceplate.
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The monk becomes concerned on seeing two of his companions now mesmerized,"Yuki Tsune-chan?! Oleander-chan?!"
Dropping his more defensive stance, the monk now takes a more offensive stance as he carefully shifts to the right to flank with Aaziroth. He strikes at the metal creature twice with his staff. "I do not know if you can understand me, but, you were given fair warning, metal creature of images!"
The monk strikes the construct twice with his staff, causing a slight crack to form on the faceplate and the wiring inside to spark.
It's still functional, however, and turns its face to Talwin in an attempt to fascinate the inquisitor. Luckily, he easily resists being drawn into the images.
The bandits are nowhere to be seen.
Intiative (Round 3)
Yuki [Fascinated]
Aaziroth <= Up
Oleander [Fascinated]
Talwin <= Up
Kuaizi <= Up
Construct
Bandits
Aaziroth, Talwin, and Kuaizi are up.
Talwin blindly jams his longspear into the center of the construct, causing the creature to spastically jerk a few times before collapsing in an inert pile on the ground. Yuki and Oleander instantly come out of their stupor when the faceplate shuts off.
Looking past the southern archway, it would appear you can easily retrace your steps to escape this mechanical madhouse.
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Talwin breathes in a sigh of relief at his team's success. As they gather themselves and make their way out, he speaks with the bandits.
"Thanks for your help back in there. We probably couldn't have figured out all those odd devices and things without your help. The Society could certainly use a couple of resourceful individuals like you."
The sum of the Pathfinders' words and actions finally seem to sink in to both the bandits and they become reflective.
"Living on the street is all I've ever known." Shechera confesses with a pained sigh, "But maybe there is a better way if I just look for it. Thank you for helping us, we know you didn't have to."
Meleren's response is less emotional, but still as genuine, "After escaping slavery I just fell into this. Perhaps I should look into my past and find out who I really am."
* * *
After getting through to the bandits, the group runs into no additional trouble as you move past the formerly trapped rooms and use a rope to return to the surface.
Returning to Absalom, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin is initially stunned to hear your report, heaping simultaneous praise and disapproval on you. He commends you for surviving a much tougher test than was intended, but also criticizes you for not immediately leaving and reporting back upon discovering the sublevel.
In the end, however, both deed and discovery stand out, and local Pathfinders begin to regard you all in high esteem. In the following months, the Red Redoubt begins to crawl with Pathfinders and other explorers eager to learn its secrets.
When the strange objects you found are turned into the Grand Lodge, experts in Numerian technology reveal that Meleren was correct about the objects he identified. They also tell you that the strange wand with a reservoir is something called a Medlance--a tool designed to inject potions, poisons, or medicine into others. The disc with the keys is a subsonic vermin manipulator that acts very similarly to the magical item pipes of the sewers.
The fates of Meleren and Shechera are up to the group, they seem to want to turn their lives around, but will willingly accept being turned over to authorities if that is consensus.