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Kalista is too rattled to identify the birdmen. Seeing her mentor lying there....
Her mind gets lost in thought, meeting Aram Zey, trying tirelessly to prove herself, her skill, her knowledge, finally gaining even some modicum of respect from his staunch stubborn ego...
Filled with grief and rage, she throws her hand forward at the yeti, shooting out a blazing inferno at it to incinerate it where it stands! But her emotions interfere with her aim!
for
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Stag reacts first, closing in on one of the birdmen and slaying him with a single swift strike. Antonella moves after him, taking advantage of the yeti still scratching its backside while groaning at the Pathfinders.
Kalista's reaction is both reckless and unexpected, but it also manages to surprise the yeti! A fiery ray surges from her fingers, incinerating the savage beast with uncanny easiness. Rogar delivers mighty blow, almost killing the yeti outright.
The savage beast retaliates, clawing twice at the warrior.
The birdman focuses, then commands Rogar to flee!
The Tapestry Chamber - round 2
1. Stag, Rogar, Kalista, Antonella
2. Yeti (43), Birdman
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With a swift blow, Stag ends the yeti's life! Meantime, Antonella strikes the birdman, almost knocking him unconscious. Seeing that his options are limited and his survivability unlikely, he prefers surrendering!
Once the strange creature - whom you understand comes from within the Tapestry itself and calls itself "Syrinx" - is restrained, you have ample time to enact the ritual described in the late Master of Spells' notes and close the portal.
However, Kalista's grief is profound as she's able to confirm that Aram Zey is indeed very much dead.
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Stag comforts Kalista with a light pat on the back. "He is in a better place." lies the Bold Strider, having heard others say that before.
Seeing that the syrinxes don't seem so bad, Stag will move to try and staunch the wounds of the fallen one that he cut with his greatsword. "Don't you die on me!" he bellows as he holds down the wound with his hands.
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Antonella bows respectfully to Kalista. “Your Mastery of Magic brings honor to both yourself and the Master of Spells, Sister.”
“But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of Kama are they.”
With an uncharacteristic glare, it's clear Kalista is not in any sort of state of mind to practice restraint. She takes a moment to survey his body and turns. "There is some necromantic magic lingering in his body. What diabolical plan had seized the Aspis' crazed imagination?"
She files it away and turns to the tapestry. Holding her hands out, she manipulates the very fibers of the magic within the tapestry together, following her mentor's instructions.
His ridicule and derision were a test to work under duress. He saw I could overcome. I will overcome now. For Zey.
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"Necromancy you say? Weren't the serpents inside the Mausoleum doing some research on how to trap souls and the like? I'm by no means an expert on the matter but maybe they didn't just kill Zey... maybe they stole his very soul!" says Rogar after coming back from the staircase and giving Kalli a sad look.
Then considering how sad his companion looks he continues:"No matter. By the end of this day he'll be avenged, Kalli. And I'm sure the Ten will do whatever they can in order to bring him back from Pharasma's cold embrace! So maybe not everything is lost yet!"
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Finally, you reach the hall where the Sky Key is supposedly held. This tall library is ringed by a walkway around its perimeter, which provides access to a second level of towering bookshelves. A broad Qadiran rug leads to a short pedestal within a tall glass case that itself sits within an inscribed circle—all cordoned off by a velvet rope suspended by brass poles. Several plush chairs and a few low tables bearing curios line the lower floor, and two decorative suits of armor stand at attention, each with a crossbow resting against its shoulder. Heatless torches blaze with remarkably even light in sconces throughout the room, and a tall pendulum clock against the eastern wall ticks each passing second as its hands move erratically.
A ghostly image of a Pathfinder appears in the center of the room, where his likeness eerily begins to slide through the display case. His voice echoes as he speaks to an unseen party. “Oh no, they’ve stolen the Sky Key. It also appears they disrupted the auxiliary stabilizer, too.” He pauses before continuing. “Do you feel that? I feel kind of sick all of a sudden. I hope they didn’t try to disassemble it—or worse, bring it too close to the tapestry. Wasn’t that why Zey kept them so far—” The figure’s words go unfinished as he begins to scream and dissolve, fading from view in a matter of seconds. Three ghostlike creatures appear out of nowhere and seem bound to attack you.
All three creatures come out of the wall and conjure mirror doubles of themselves!
Chamber of the Sky Key - round 1
1. Ghostlike creatures
2. Kalista, Antonella, Rogar, Stag
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Stag hears this as he moves to the south to join Tuna with his greatsword ready to strike the greenish one.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Kalista's arrow pops an image!
Rogar's luck guides his hand once again, slaying the reddish-hued soulsliver in one blow. However, the creature explodes in a thousand glass shards!
Antonella's kick sweeps the air, missing the soulsliver and its images completely.
Stag's blow looked earth-shattering, but it only manages to slice through an illusory double.
The blue-hued sliver circles past the Taldan warrior, then rends Kalista.
Meanwhile, the green-hued one attacks Antonella.
Chamber of the Sky Key - round 2
1. Soulslivers (red 3 / blue 5 / green 2)
2. Kalista, Antonella, Rogar, Stag
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Rogar manages to avoid the worst of the glass explosion although he wears a couple of minor cuts on his face, nontheless he shrugs off the damage and turns toward the creature assaulting Kallista, allarmed at the idea of the elven wizard facing the hideous monster alone.
"Damned things! Let the ladies be, face me and meet your friend in the bowels of the hell that spawned you and your ilk!"
Before swinging he adds:"Get away Kalli! Don't sully yourself with this pathetic scum! Besides they explode in a shower of shards when you kill them!"
->
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Rogar swings, and one of the illusory doubles disappear.
Antonella strikes twice, the first time hitting the real mirrorman, and dispelling an image on the second one.
Stag dispels the second image, and Kalista hits the creature.
The two slivers shift before attacking.
Chamber of the Sky Key - round 3
1. Soulslivers (blue 4 / green (3NL, 5L))
2. Kalista, Antonella, Rogar, Stag
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Kalista shoots again at the sole survivor among the soulslivers, and finds the right image!
Antonella closes in and strikes once, popping an image.
Rogar swings, but his blow only manages to take one image off.
The sole sliver shifts slightly to fight with his back against the wall, striking Antonella twice.
Chamber of the Sky Key - round 4
1. Soulsliver (blue 1 image, 4 damage)
2. Kalista, Antonella, Rogar, Stag
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After recovering from your wounds , your steps lead you to Arliss Hall. There, Kreighton Shaine finishes giving instructions to one team before sending them into Arliss Hall and turning to greet the new arrivals. “Ah, you received my message?” he asks eagerly while pulling out a small notepad and making a single tally mark. “Excellent, I was uncertain whether recent events might block communication as well. We have a theory that the northwest tower’s new floating status may be the result of the Sky Key and Hao Jin Tapestry coming too close to one another, much like two extradimensional spaces placed inside one another. Thus far, all of our more conventional attempts to reach the tower have been repelled, and admittedly the whole thing could just rocket into the Irorium any minute.” He squints to the north before adding, “That would be unfortunate, as there’s a rather big match over there today. Best we take control of the tower before it misbehaves further.
“The good news is that we have a permanent portal to that section of the tower. Since the link is between two objects—a pair of full-length mirrors—it should be stable and safe to use. The only catch is that one of the mirrors is inside Arliss Hall. The hall has several extradimensional properties, and with so many visitors, it’s been changing its internal layout constantly. Rather than waste time sending you to figure out a puzzle, I’ll lead you to the portal myself. We venture-captains are fairly used to it.”
As Pathfinders, you know some basic information about Arliss Hall. Its passageways are known to shift in strange ways, and it often seems larger inside that it should from the outside. The majority of the rooms inside are modest but tasteful apartments that venture-captains (and maybe even the Decemvirate) use as personal apartments. Kreighton Shaine opens the door for you and follows you inside; however, when you turn around, the elf has disappeared.
“Of all the luck,” the Master of Scrolls voice echoes from thin air. “We must have exceeded some capacity limit for this version of the hall and it moved me over to another… iteration of itself. I’ll try to find my way over to you, but look for the mirror! It is in a private room that is reserved. We call it the Lost Room. The chamber will be hidden in plain sight but there’s always some sort of trick to find it. Hurry and I’ll try to join you soon! One last thing—rarely can anyone find the Lost Room alone, so work together!”
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Stag leaps onto the over-stuffed sofa near the fire place, basking in the warmth from the crackling logs. "Ah... A perfect place for a nap. Is it the Guild-mandated break time, yet?" he asks of Tuna. "The old fogey has disappeared. Must mean Arliss Hall wanted us to rest for the big, upcoming battle that is surely to be told about in epics for millenia." Stag says with a smile as he reclines.
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Knowing what happens when he smashes the mirrorman Rogar is able to avoid the worst of the shard's explosion, receiving only a couple of minor cuts, later healed by Antonella. And he makes sure to thank his companion profusely:"Dear Antonella, once again I'm in your debt... If you are in need of something and it's in my power to provide it, just say it and I'll make sure to satisfy your wish!" says the taldan warrior.
Once inside Arliss Hall Rogar doesn't seem particularly keen on the task at hand but tries to give the others his insight anyway:"Weeeeell... I suspect the key of the enigma lies in finding where this room 8A is..."