Yasmin is relieved to see Grayface not dragged in headlong as an offering to Skraa-orm. If the thing could separate bronze from iron, it might just have separated his body parts from his armor.
"Okay, but can you tell us a little more about what's behind this door? It'd be great if we can talk to the priestess, Savisk."
As you leave the chamber containing the 'God in the Box', the doors slide shut behind you - the white light extinguishes leaving only the dim lighting provided by the strange sconces that are placed throughout the lair. As you are escorted to the chamber to the north of the water trough, your guide points at the large bell you previously passed.
"When you want to come back through the home of Children of Thagh, you ring bell from down below... Yes? Skraa-orm shall open door for you - no need for sacrifice when you come back. Skraa-orm is a kind god"
Still paying Ea more attention than anyone else, the troglodyte replies to the Pharasmin, "Skraa-orm is neither pleased nor displeased... Skraa-orm just is... The door has been opened to 'deep place' five times to good people during the last lifetime... Armoured men with metal faces like devils went to make war underground - we didn't see them again... and then two magicked people came - that was recent - they made good sacrifice and talked to the Children of Thagh for a while"
Tirnng to Yasmin, "You wish to meet Savisk? I will call for her..."
The troglodyte makes a noise not unlike a dog's bark towards the northern corridors - a keening noise replies.
"She is coming good people... Come, while we wait, let me show you the way to 'deep place'"
Running a hand across the door near the bell, it retracts - in the same elegant manner as the others - into the wall. Beyond is a moderately sized room with two significant features - a tall statue of a troglodyte, standing in the same semi-religious pose as those you saw in the room containing the hexagonal tower - and, in the north east corner of the room, a section of the stone floor is cut away perfectly, revealing a staircase that descends into darkness.
With a chittering noise at your guide, an elderly troglodyte emerges from one of the northern tunnels that you were not guided through. The pair hiss and click at each other - a noise that sounds remarkably aggressive - before your guide turns to Yasmin, "Savisk does not speak the language of the surface walkers...I will convey her answers - you have questions, yes?"
Yasmin bows courteously to Savisk. "Thank you so much for coming to see us. We are told you're the priestess of Skraa-Orm. Have you been here a long time? What can you tell us about the history of this God and how you came to discover him?"
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Your guide translates the obscure clicks and rattles that seem to comprise the troglodyte's language, "The Children of Thagh have always been...and shall always be...the Godbox brings life and, when we die, he nurtures our soul so that we may once again be reborn. Onwards and onwards through eternity, Skraa-orm looks after his children. I was hatched in this place, I shall die in this place and, when Skraa-orm so wills it, I shall return to serve him...we are the Children of Thagh"
Some other questions come to Yasmin's mind. Perhaps too many questions. But the whole situation seemed like such a mystery. She asks them one at a time, following up as answers are given.
"What happens if the Godbox doesn't like the sacrifice that an adventurer gives? What does Skraa-Orm require his faithful followers to do for him? Do you personally commune with him, or how do you know his will? What are the machine-men that share this place with you? Can you tell me more about the two scholars who went down these stairs?--They may be people we've been asked to find. We're studying the spire and mapping out its corrridors--is it possible for us to map out all the rooms in this level?--We would do so respectfully and unobtrusively, of course."
That last question was definitely the most practical. Yasmin didn't want to skip out on the gold reward from Royst.
The troglodytes converse again, your guide recounting all of your queries and, as the responses come back, translating.
"Skraa-orm does not express happiness nor unhappiness...the sacrifice is either enough and passage is allowed - or, should the sacrifice not be enough, Skraa-orm will stay silent. Our worship is all that Skraa-orm wants of us...we sing, we pray and we paint our visions across the walls of our home."
When the question about communing with the God in the Box is translated, Savisk appears to be agitated in her response - your guide is apologetic, "Sorry, such things are not for you to know."
Your guide also tells you that the metal men are of 'down below' and Skraa-orm protects the Children of Thagh from them, "We know nothing of their ways, their needs or their gods... It is not for us to be concerned"
When Yasmin questions Savisk about the mages, the response is gentle, "We warned them of the dangers 'down below', they were only two and had no armours... they examined our green rock and they told us of life in 'up above' - the lands of the sun - it was good to hear although it made us sad to hear that you did not have a god of your own. I hope they will return..."
The response to Yasmin's final question is a snapped noise, "I am sorry...Savisk is right... Hatching is soon and our clutch must be protected... We cannot allow you into the brood tunnels now"
"Do you have any more questions? The way to 'down below' should not be left open for too long"
"Please express my apologies to Savisk. We definitely don't want to disturb your clutch, and we appreciate all you've done to aid us." Yasmin backs off quickly, knowing it was her greed that got the best of her for that question.
"A couple more quick questions, and these are probably questions you can answer yourself. First, do the metal men have any weaknesses or resistances that you know of? And second, when we come back up here, is there a way we can reopen these doors?" That last question had Yasmin a bit worried.
Pertreeko hides his disappointment at not being able to explore the other tunnels first. Fortunately his avian face does not betray much in the way of expressions. Still, he thinks to himself, the less time we spend on this level mapping, the less time I'll have to endure this stench. Gaia preserve me, I thought I'd smelled the worst smell ever when I encountered that dunga flower in my youth...nothing compared to these Trogs...
Yasmin's final two questions were also echoing inside the warrior's head. If going down to the next level meant more clockwork machines, they could assume that it meant danger. Furthermore, having a means to exit would obviously be important if they ever wanted to see the light of day again. Gray didn't want to forever be at the whims of these stinking lizard creatures.
Grayface moved toward the northeast corner and readied himself for the impending descent.
"I'm happy to take the lead, and I could use some magical light if that's ok. Those steps look dark."
Imagine that...our big, brave warrior...afraid of the dark.....
Rallos muses as he gives Gray a playful shot in the arm.
I am not exactly a fan of the dark either....even though I can see through it clearly. I'll be right there with you Gray. I don't want you stumbling into any traps.
I can create some light if needed. For levity, you'd better ask someone else.
Ea cracks a small smile
"We don't fight with the Metal Men - Skraa-orm protects us from the creatures of 'Down Below'", your guide points to the bell, "There is a chain to pull on the stairs below...if you pull it, the bell will ring here and we will open the door to you"
The ramp winding down from the troglodyte's home takes you past the chain that your guide said would be there, takes you far from the smell that was filling your noses and leads down, down, down...
Passing an Azlanti symbol etched into the spire, this one the symbol for 'four', you continue onwards - as you travel you start to notice that the air is becoming noticeably damp...a contrast to the dry and dusty tunnels and corridors you have thus far explored. In time, the ramp arrives at a set of steps that lead to a dank, low-ceilinged room. The curved surface of the Emerald Spire takes up the north-west corner, and to the east is a short staircase leading down to a dark passage from which the soft sound of lapping water emanates. A small, closed door stands in the south wall.
Above the gentle lapping of water, the noise of clacking claws fills the air...at least twenty toad-sized crabs are scuttling around in this room...
"Ho, ho, my lad, you go, my lad...down, down, to goblin town..." the druid hums to himself quietly as they descend the stairs. His humming ceases when he hears the soft sounds of lapping water. He gazes at the crabs.
"Other members of my order could influence the very attitudes of beasts," the druid muses aloud. "I never had the knack. Animals don't care for me like they do for other druids."
He studies where the crabs are going. Does it look likely that we'd have to pass right by them, or is there some way to evade them and progress past?
The crabs seem to be doing little more than 'ambling' - quite aimlessly - you will have to walk past them to continue although there aren't enough of the crustaceans to present a hazard as such.
"I love that song Pertreeko, but I never was much of a singer."
With sword drawn Grayface takes the lead into this next chamber. The magical torchlight emanating from the tip of his sword showed what was making the clacking sounds -- a large group of crabs.
"Crabs?" It was too early for complacency but these little crabs couldn't be a threat. He went on into the room, spilling light out for everyone to see where they were headed.
After everyone arrived, he pointed his sword to the east staircase leading to the water sounds, then raised an eyebrow as if to say, "This way?"
Catching the note of derision in Gray's voice, Pertreeko cautions the fighter.
"Have a care, Gray. These crabs don't look like a threat now, but Gozreh has endowed all His creations with defenses, and the world is a wide and strange place. I think we should give the crabs a respectful berth as we pass by, for prudence's sake."
Respectful of Pertreeko and his wisdom, Gray lowers his raised foot safely on the floor instead of smashing the clickity clackety crab.
Seemingly embarrassed, the fighter says "Yes, of course."
Yasmin looks disappointed as Grayface backs off. "Drat - I was hoping for some crab dinner," she whispers to Rallos.
Instead, she focuses on the inscription of "four" in the crystal. "Hey, this is the symbol that matches the scroll we found. Do you think that we can use the teleportation crystal to teleport to this spot? Do one of you feel brave enough to try this out with me?"
If someone is willing to join her, Yasmin wants to try out the crystal to see if it works like she suspects.
Shouldn't we explore this level of the Spire first?I'm the one with a deathwish usually, Yasmin.
I like seafood, Yasmin, but I like not annoying whatever gods are looking after the inhabitants here more. Also, using that crystal thing might not be in our best interest right now. We still don't know more about it.
Rallos moves towards the door, straining to hear any noise on the other side.
He then checks the door for any traps
Carefully avoiding the crabs scuttling underfoot, Rallos goes to the door and starts to examine it - the first thing he notices is that, in contrast to the wooden doors on the first three levels of the spire, this doors is iron with a 1 foot square grate in the lower half of the door... After he is satisfied that it is neither trapped nor guarded, he gently opens it - and discovers nothing more exciting than a small cupboard with two empty barrels within it.
"Silence!" -- Grayface whispered firmly. The fighter moved to the eastern wall adjacent to the passage, just out of sight of whatever might be coming through. He was ready to pounce if the -- thing -- made any hostile move.
Ea is watchful, and prepares herself for another fight, readying her morningstar
How long before one of us falls down and dies? Who will it be? We can't fool Fate too often and too long.
All is quiet for a moment or two, the scuttling of the crabs and the gentle water waves the only noise... and then a voice calls out...a strange tongue, full of rounded vowels and booming noises...
"Kembali cara anda datang ... tempat ini tergolong dalam Undine sekarang ... tempat air dan tertanya-tanya bagi kita untuk belajar; kehadiran anda di sini adalah satu gangguan yang tidak diingini...pulih dan tidak akan menimpa anda"
...the voice falls silent, seemingly awaiting a response...
Pertreeko looks to his comrades in consternation. "That voice didn't sound friendly," he comments, shaking his head to show he didn't understand the words. He listens a moment further, thinking he's about to hear something, but the sickened condition his body is experiencing distracts him from picking up on anything.
Yasmin didn't expect to understand what was being said, but something - the power of the marid within her - knew these words instinctively. This was the language of the water, flowing like a river and echoing like the deep blue ocean. She conferred in whispered tones to her friends. "The voice is telling us to turn back. It says this place belongs to the Undine now, a place of water and wonder to study, and that our presence is an unwanted distraction. I'll tell them that we just seek safe passage to find the missing scholars and to challenge the undead in deeper levels. Undine can be fickle - and this one is obviously feeling touchy. But hopefully a few friendly words will help them see reason."
Yasmin begins to respond in the strange tongue - hesitantly and awkwardly in the first few words, but more naturally as she discovers her innate talent with the language.
"Baik Undine , aku ... kita ... hanyalah perenang ... eh ... para pelancong yang mencari untuk menemukan nasib dua ulama yang berkelana di sini, dan melewati ke tingkat yang lebih dalam untuk pertempuran ahli nujum yang kuat. Tidak perlu bagi kita untuk melawan, dan kami tidak akan mengganggu Anda untuk waktu yang lama. Silakan, bisa kita tidak berbicara sebagai teman, bukan musuh."
. Yasmin felt she sounded pretty natural at the end. Perhaps they would view her as one of their own. Certainly, the sorceress was curious what power this level held - indeed, perhaps this was the place she needed to truly unlock her new gifts.
I hope that whatever was said was friendly.....
Be on your guard...it is communicating with something or some things....ready yourselves.
Rallos tightens his grip on his rapier, anticipating combat
Why Rallos, you expected him to come alone to a group of armed strangers? You shouldn't be so surprised. His words weren't too threatening, I should say. Firm and proud, surely, but not an official declaration of war. Not yet.
Having not a clue what was just said, Grayface maintains his readiness to strike.
Maybe it is the distance you have out between yourselves and the troglodytes, maybe it is the fresh feeling of the water that hangs in the air or maybe it is just time but those who were most affected by the stomach churning stench of the lair above have now fully recovered...
In quick response to Yasmin's pleas for sense to prevail, the voice calls out again,"Arahan anda daripada bahasa ombak adalah membanggakan ... perenang ... dan, untuk menghormati anda telah menunjukkan, saya akan memberikan anda satu amaran terakhir. tidak ada yang telah dibenarkan untuk melakukan perjalanan melalui sini, pulih dan mencari tempat lain"
As the voice leaves his words hanging, there is a brief flash of electric blue light from within the tunnel... and, almost immediately, the small number of crabs that were at the steps where the room descends into the corridor start to scuttle into the room - clacking in agitation and definitely moving away from the corridor...
Ea translate for those who don't speak Aquan
We're in trouble. Whoever is speaking seems territorial, and won't let us wander in their kingdom. We should follow the crabs. Their instinct tell them they are endangered, and not by Yasmin's appetite.
If possible, Ea will slowly moves away from the corridor
The corridor to the east leads down ten feet into an unlit passageway filled with murky water - the water is too cloudy and dank to determine to what depth. There are two hallways to the south (as far as you are able to tell, the voice comes from the closer of the two) and, off to the east, the passageway narrows before turning south...
Pertreeko holds aloft his Dagger, enchanted with the Light cantrip to shine as a torch, and looks about himself. "I don't like the look of that murky water," he says, glancing to the east. "Anything could come out of that for a surprise strike."
He points to the hallway to the south that is farther away, the one the voice was not coming from. He lowers his voice, mindful that it could carry. "If we plan to flank whomever was speaking, that tunnel could offer us the opportunity."
Yasmin wonders if the Aquan is being truthful about not seeing the two scholars. .
"Let's just get out of here - and quickly!"
- the voice, as hard as it is to tell in a language you are not fully fluent in, 'seems' genuine...
After listening to Ea's recitation of the conversation, the fighter felt this diplomatic route wasn't achieving the desired effect. Grayface, never being comfortable with sitting tight and awaiting fate, decided that it was time to press on whether the mystery speaker desired our presence or not.
"Damn their desires; we need to press on. I will take the lead."
The warrior moved adjacent to the water-covered floor and waited for his friends to ready themselves.
Moving down to the water's edge, you can see that there is at least a foot of water...maybe more, the water is so dirty here, you can't quite make it out...
And, as Grayface's light draws closer to the corridor, the voice becomes more agitated - finally shouting, "Saya memberi amaran kepada anda, yang Spire adalah milik kita...kini darah akan mengalir dalam air rumah kami!!!"
Hmmph...I guess the civil way is not an option anymore.
"Bodoh - daging anda akan menghiasi dinding puncak menara itu!"
Fire begins to flow from Yasmin's fingertips. "Let's take them down!"
Ea cast Shield of Faith on herself
Pertreeko's first action will depend on the action of the enemy, as he can't see any of them yet. Lightning begins to gather around his finger-feather tips.
With a sizzle of burning stone, a glob of acid splashes on the brickwork that Grayface is sheltering behind.
As the warrior ducks from the burning liquid flung at him, he doesn't get a good luck at the robed figure that dives into the water from the first hallway - and, although not managing to get fully submerged - swims along the corridor to the second hallway.
Yasmin moves to the base of the stairs, right before it enters into the water. If she can see the darn guy and he's within 35 feet, he's probably getting blasted. But more likely, she will use Dancing Lights to illuminate the corridor, sending the lights forward until she can see him.
It seems that, under the cover of the acid attack, your opponent has swum into the second hallway to the east - you are unable to see him from where you are standing...
Ea goes close to Yasmin
Want to try your luck, Grayface? Let me check who's waiting for us first...and if our foes are living or not.
She prays to the Lady of the Graves, and traces a spiral on her closed eyes
Looking out over the water- filled corridor, Ea sees hundreds of tiny life trails... Small creatures scuttling around some two feet below the surface of the water - and, flashing in between them, something faster - something very much alive but, from the contorted angle of it's life-line, not of this plane...