The statues show no traces of Art or the Way. They look rather too perfected and idealized to have been intended as actual people, though their poses are very lifelike. Bolkvar recognizes the designs of the armor on some of the dwarves to be in the fashion of Delzoun, the lost Northkingdom that build Citadels Abdarrim (now Abdar) and Sundar (now Sundabar) in an age long past.
"The children aren't going to rescue themselves. Let's keep moving," Ari says once the others have completed their examination of the statues.
"Shield your eyes if you can", shouts Thurvek from the rear! "I suspect those aren't statues, but petrification victims!"
The company pressed on, goind between the rows of statues for some time, until the tunnel bent and still more statues led them to a larger chamber. As they drew near it, the sound of distant voices came to them from ahead.
Aldon whispers, "Shall I Mindlink our group so we can approach and discuss strategy without raising our voices?"
Ari sighs at Aldon's whisper, then slowly nods. She whispers in reply, "I suppose if I'm ever going to agree to it, this is the kind of situation to do it in. For myself, I say yes."
While Ari waits for whatever Aldon's 'Mindlink' entails, she focuses on the voices in the distance, straining to see what she can hear.
Thurvek grumbles, "Fine."
Ranek pulls out his wand of shield, ready to use it if needed. ”Do it. Once we get closer, maybe one of us can scout ahead. Someone who’s good at sneaking.”
Marcus wasn't terribly keen direct mind contact, but the tactical advantages where undeniable so he reluctantly nodded. He found himself nodding once, more when Ranek suggested they send a scout, "As long as they don't get too far ahead that sounds like a good idea. Can't help otherwise."
Marcus wasn't terribly keen direct mind contact, but the tactical advantages where undeniable so he reluctantly nodded. He found himself nodding once, more when Ranek suggested they send a scout, "As long as they don't get too far ahead that sounds like a good idea. Can't help otherwise."
Aldon activates his Mindlink power allowing he and the rest of the group to communicate telepathically for the next 30 minutes. No special power or influence is established as a result of the bond. Once the bond is formed, it works over any distance. The seven feel a slight tingle in their skull and their ears and then they hear Aldon's voice within their own minds,
"Much like speaking, you can initiate an idea when you wish to but must do so consciously, no stray thoughts will be transmitted between us. Scouting is not my forte', I am passably competent at it but no better than that".
"This is so gods-damn weird!!"
Ari cringes a bit as the Mindlink takes hold, but she doesn't send that thought to the others.
Instead, she thinks, "I'm not very good when it comes to sneaking. If we stay still for a bit, I might be able to hear some of what's going on in the other room, assuming they're speaking a language I know. Other than that, I'm afraid approaching close is best left to someone else."
Barra gave the monk a long look, a singing feeling in his chest. None of you have ever had to sneak out of a house in the middle of the night, have you? I'll stay a couple feet ahead, be ready to come rescue me.
Barra padded forward toward the voices, coming upon ten statues of a different style. Made of copper green with age, they had a more realistic style and depicted people twisted in horrific pain. Just past them an alcove large enough to be a room jutted out of the tunnel to one side. A heavy stone slab atop two other slabs rose fifteen feet above the floor, various oddments just barely visible on it from barra's level.
Beyond, the tunnel continued and voices still issued forth.
Write idea, Mr. Dwarf, but wrong statues... Barra thinks with growing concern. After a few experimental hops to try and see what's on the slab, he shrugs to himself and keeps moving towards the voices.
Marcus almost spoke, but remembered not to at the last moment. The frown on his brow deepening by the moment as Barra reported his findings, 'This is terrible. What kind of fiend would have a place like this? I'm not normally one for wanton destruction but I'm tempted to say we destroy these statues - assuming that's all they are.'
Write idea, Mr. Dwarf, but wrong statues... Barra thinks with growing concern. After a few experimental hops to try and see what's on the slab, he shrugs to himself and keeps moving towards the voices.
Hopping gives Barra just enough of an angle to mark something that looks like glass tubes and something else that might be an assembly of various crystals.
Aye, this place reeks of wrongness. But let us destroy these statues after we ensure these tunnels have been cleared.
Ari waits a bit impatiently for Barra to return, but realizes they may have to head his direction rather than the other way around.
When Bolkvar mentions destroying the statues, Ari comments, I don't think they all need to be destroyed, Bolkvar. The ones with pained expressions, perhaps, but have you considered that they might could yet be restored? If they are petrification victims, destroying them only seals their fate.
Ranek is curious about the apparatus Barra just barely glimpsed - perhaps he would climb up and take a look himself once the tunnels were clear.
"Can you make out what these beings are saying Barra?"
[dice=Knowledge (arcana) for how to cure petrification]1d20+10
Ranek is curious about the apparatus Barra just barely glimpsed - perhaps he would climb up and take a look himself once the tunnels were clear.
Ranek thinks that a spell could do the job, but it would need to be a potent one. Not the kind of thing he could manage just yet but one mastered by wizards and priests of reasonable strength. Doing so is dangerous, particularly if the statues have been damaged. The shock might slay the victim.
He has read of various places and substances that might also do the job, but the locations and true natures of such things are closely-guarded secrets. Once, it was thought that the elves possessed a blue moss which they could lay a person in to be restored over many nights. Some hold that the blood of unicorns, or a basilisk, may either reverse the transformation or ease the restoration. Others insist only the touch of a unicorn's horn, freely given, would suffice. Bathing the body in certain pools under the full moon, or during the right conjunctions of stars, may bring about a restoration. The touch of a maedar or a medusa's death rattle surely would.
In any event, the safest way to handle petrification is to slowly draw it from the victim into a prepared receptacle, usually a gemstone, which must then be swiftly and safely destroyed lest the Art leak and seize the unwary.
Curiosity getting the best of him, Aldon pads forward softly.
Hakon stands watch for any dangers while Ranek studies the device.
Like Ser Hakon, Marcus wasn't sure what he could do to help at this juncture beyond keeping his eyes peeled for danger.
Thurvek marks the darkness behind them, with his steely-eyed gaze.
Aldon padded up to Barra, beside the huge table, and climbed its leg. Reaching the top, he found a thick coat of dust. It reached past his ankle in a few places. Beneath the dust and cobwebs he found:
A person-sized set of interlocking, carved crystal tubes.
Seventeen different varieties of crystal, separated neatly but unlabeled. They ranged in size from as small as his fist and as large as a small cow.
Crystalline knives, brackets, and other strangeness next to a cooper slab as large as a person and stained with old blood.
A full set of fine gem cutting tools, sized for a giant.
A pale blue crystal set apart from the rest which glinted with a dim, inner light as Aldon regarded it.
"This is clearly a table with tools made for Giants and a big one at that, no mere Hill Giant I'd wager.
There is also a crystal here, not sure if it is charged by the Way or the Art".
Detect Psionics on the pale blue crystal.
With the path to the table seeming to be clear, Ari joins Aldon and Barra to inspect its contents. Her eyes fixate on the pale blue crystal and she tries to determine its purpose.
If they're made for giants, I suspect that they aren't of use to us at the moment. We should press on to find the children.
Ari's divination found something that felt a bit like enchanting Art, but not quite. Aldon sensed a clear resonance of telepathy from the pale blue crystal...and also an unclear resonance from the interlocking crystal tubes and a mix of psychometabolism and telepathy from one of the assorted crystals.
"Telepathy. Powerful Telepathy. Destroying them would be ... prudent but alert our foes to our presence, likely."
After examining the crystal for a minute, Ari realizes that this likely isn't the best use of their time.
Ranek's right. We need to find the children. Let's press on.
Yes. We have come too far to turn back now, or to get distracted.
Hakonnods. Agreed. We need to save the children.
While the others examined the table and its adornments, Barra stalked further forward. He reached the end of the tunnel, amid the growing voices still, until the floor rose in a broad ramp and met a blank, unadorned wall. The din seemed to come from beyond the wall.
A wall is in our way? Say the word and I can make us a hole to walk through.
Ranek thinks to Barra, You can hear voices coming through the wall? That doesn't sound right for stone.
Ranek looks at the wall from 60 feet away, then quietly casts a cantrip to study the walled area.
Marcus agreed, one didn't normally hear voices or anything through solid stone. While Ranek attuned his senses to the magical, Marcus opened his to see if the stench of evil was aboard.
Barra begins to feel around the edges of the wall, looking for some kind of seam or switch. See, this is why everyone avoids spending time with wizards. Stone talking isn't *normal*, it shouldn't even be a possibility! There must be a room behind the wall. Question is, how to get there...
"Stand back everyone. Enough time has been wasted. Be prepared for a fight if whatever is back there is hostile."
Bolkvar strode forward. And waiting to see if anyone would stop him, he began to chant his spell...
Ari will also study the wall.