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Chaul starts off by again looking for magical auras..
"I say Alderbert.." he says, putting on a thick Taldane accent.
"That big cleaver on a spear... its a real weapon!"
He holds up a hand as he sees the statues..."And those... are not just statues. They are golems. Carrion golems unless I miss my guess. Creatures without soul and who harbour any manner of diseases."
Finally he looks at the tapestry. "This tells of the god of Envy's murder of his brother, and of stealing some of his jade armor. The jade from the armour activates a portal. This may be a clue to challenges we face later on."
He peers closer "A jade hare! We should certainly keep our eyes open for that, if it is here it would be a most interesting artefact."
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Aldebert guffaws. "Carrion golems you say? Would they respond well to the cleansing rain of bolts that Mathilda is sure to provide? Or will they grow cranky and attempt to savage us?"
Peering up at the statue he continues:"As far as that statue's weapon is concerned, I fully intent on bringing it back with us; that eastern godling took my torq after all!" he whines.
He pauses again and, in a more subdued tone asks: "Now, if I may ask. What in the name of the Last of the First are these creatures doing with the rice? Is this another eastern pagan custom of dubious merit?"
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A gigantic cylinder nearly fills this alcove and emits the rancid smell of fermented rice. A large pipe ascends from the machinery, carrying the pungent fluid away from the distillation apparatus before disappearing into the stone tiles above.
The spiral staircase continues upward...
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Aldebert, seeing as nothing here has tried to eat the cleric, steps on in and casually grabs the weapons out of the statue's hand. "Capital! Capital indeed! Another victory for the Society. Now, if someone would please explain why the entire place smells like one of those tofu restaurants, I would be ecstatic about it. Ghastly sort of food. Only in Tian Xia would someone resort to calling that sort of paste nourishment."
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[ooc]Means nothing to me[/b]
Chaul bows Quinn, the only even vaguely subtle and most perceptive member of the group forward.
"I shall take care of the rear, in case those golems come upon us. Let us head upwards, towards the light of Sarenrae!"
He makes sure that our young former-venture captain is in front of him so she can be shielded from harm.
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Chaul contemplates his options. "Should we face such a creature, I may wrest open the very gates of heaven to drive it back. But I think first we might let Matilda sing a lullaby and see if that works."
He checks for any further magical auras and then encourages the group onwards.
-=-=-=-=
Quinn carefully heads up the stairs, (taking ten on perception for traps or similar things)
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Pipes snake across the floor, feeding a series of fluid-filled vats before connecting to six metallic sarcophagi—three on each side of the chamber. In the chamber’s center, a large glass vat rises past a second story balcony. To the south, anchored to the wall are three similar, ten-foot-tall vats. Two sets of stairs curl up the southern arc and provide access to the balcony that looms fifteen feet above.
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Aldebert inspects the area. "This is what the Qadirans call "the silence before the din". A ghastly people, but the expression is on point here. I am quite certain that a couple skymetal bolts in these sarcophagi will ease everyone's minds. Does anyone object? Or shall we favor the more traditional inspection by death-seeking agent? I volunteer if noone else will!!!
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The lingering auras of evil permeate this area... but they are weak. One of the sarcophagi appear to have magic auras within them, but none radiate any auras themselves, nor do they radiate evil. The vat contains rice vinegar.
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Chaul looks around to see if there are Golems here as well.
"Normally I would not bother the dead, but here... here I think they rest unquietly anyway."
If there are no golems present he heads first to the sarcophagus with magic coming from it. "Stand ready..." he carefully opens the metal tomb... and finds a tome within.
"Quinn, might this be of interest to you?" he says gesturing to the book.
One by one he opens the other coffins. At each corpse he stops and prays for the souls of the departed, hoping they escaped whatever fate has been inflicted on their mortal remains.
"This is odd, it looks like someone is grafting stuff onto these people..."
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Aldebert, standing by Chaul as he opens the metal box with his typical grin on his face and Mathilda raised and ready to fire, is perplexed by the box's contents.
Unphased he moves up to another sarcophagus and opens it with the same eager apprehension. Seeing the mutilated body inside, he sniffs loudly in distaste. "An evil AND shoddy job. Clearly this loathsome pagan deity has poor taste in followers" he states before applying the tip of the weapon to the dead person's forehead and pulling the trigger.
The deed done, Aldebert is somehow subdued, his usual demented smile grim and tight. "Rest in Pharasma's peace. One day we'll join you my poor Tien friend."
He begins to move onto the next metal sarcophagus to repeat the procedure.
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Aldebert frowns, turn around and realizes that what he took to be a head was in fact a poorly wrapped piece of flesh.
"Well then. Milady, gentlemen, let us move at the very least to the foot of these here stairs. Unless you have a fondness for rice vinegar, in which case the impeccable martial training of the Phalanx's ranged corps is about to make your most fervent wish come true."
The ex-soldier then moves back to the bottom foot of the stairs upwards before taking aim at the glass paneling on the vat.
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A balustrade rings a balcony where a vast, circular vat rises from the chamber below. Nestled against the northern curve of this chamber sit three workbenches crammed with glassware. Along the east and west walls, large spikes with upraised points are affixed to the floor, four to the east and four to the west. A single set of stairs at the chamber’s southern end rises to another chamber above.
Impaled on the spikes are several disembodied heads, which slowly begin to chatter as the party moves onto the staircase. You hear the sound of an old man's voice in Tien yell from the back, and you recognize the voice to be that of Mata Ryuu from your previous meeting with him.
Round 1:
Aldebert
Wyrgan
Head Swarm
Red Beheaded Yeti
Quinn
Chaul
Blue Beheaded Yeti
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Round 1:
Aldebert
Wyrgan
Head Swarm
Yeti Head
Quinn
Mata Ryuu
Chaul
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Aldebert and Wyrgan make quick work of the floating Yeti head, but they swarm of chattering skulls flies across the balcony gap and begins clamping onto every piece of Wyrgan's armor.
and Fort Save DC 11 vs Nausea
Round 1:
Aldebert
Wyrgan
Head Swarm
Quinn
Mata Ryuu
Chaul
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The chattering of the swarm of flying heads stops abruptly as Chaul bathes them in positive energy, and they collapse to the floor, jaws falling off of the skulls.
Quinn sees Mata Ryuu, standing at the rear of the room taking cover behind a desk, sneering as Quinn spots him.
Round 2:
Aldebert
Wyrgan
Quinn
Mata Ryuu
Chaul
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Aldebert hustles towards the newly formed wall. Once on the other side, he levels Mathilda with Mata Ryuu. "I recognize you! You're the older gentleman with leprosy of the brain! Two steps from needing diapers anew! Or something along those lines. Please refrain from going any of that magical Tien casting or I will be forced to chastise you in the Taldane, nay, the Avistani manner: I will turn you into a porcupine and let Pharasma sort it all out. And don't think that your plight as a man charmed by another being will move me towards being merciful either" he calls out jovially.
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Wyrgan aids Chauls attempt to reason with the man...
"Good man, please don't act hasty. We have no reason to quarrel with you and I am sure you do not want to be on the receiving end of Mathilda... she is quite deadly. I suggest you refrain from making any sudden moves and we can discuss this without any bloodshed."
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Some semblance of recognition crosses his face, but with a twitch he quickly snaps back to his aggressive posture and unloads a potent blast of acidic spray at Quinn, Wyrgan, and Aldebert.
So far the control over him seems to be holding strong but if you keep it up you think you might be able to break through...
Round 2:
Chaul
Round 3:
Aldebert
Wyrgan
Quinn
Mata Ryuu
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Aldebert nimbly dodges aside, readying Mathilda for another volley of fire, but he notices the rather intense looks his companions are giving him and his target. He sighs.
"Fine. In regard to his age and his circumstances, AND ONLY because he is a nobleman. Ahem. Lord Ryuu? You seem to have wavered momentarily from whatever control this vinegar-infested leech has imposed on you. Might I suggest trying anew and with more vigor? I am told Elves are the most stub... I mean willful people in Golarion. Dwarves excepted. I am positive you can do that again. And Perhaps a protective spell upon the good Lord Ryuu might aid him in regaining his senses?"
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Chaul moves up to the man, starting to pray.
"Lady Sarenrae, as you renew the sun each day, renew the faith of this man, and renew his will to fight against the evil that controls him"
---===--===----==
Quinn tries to continue to reason with the man as he too closes.
"Think of the honour of your family! Think of your ancestors. Surely they too opposed this force, you too can do it... with their help"