"That one you can smack as hard as you like," Nime says, not taking her eyes off the outsider. "When he dies, he dies, though. He has no soul. So leaving voluntarily would result in a much better outcome for him."
Shenuska’s magic dispels the barghest’s mirror images and flight spell, putting him in range of Rudrik’s attacks!
"'nother bad dog. Seems to be a common refrain."
Theo’s fireball catches the barghest full blast, then Rudrik slices into him twice. The creature snarls and backs away, raising his front paws. ”Ouch! Your words are true, blue woman, and I shall heed the warning. I didn’t live long enough to be called ‘Old Haanshu’ by foolishly risking my life. You can take the bracers and whatever else you want from this complex. I simply ask that you let me leave here with the manuscript I have been working on. I promise I will not return, and you will have no further trouble from me.”
Nime nods in the barghest's direction and waits for him to leave before continuing onward to the other side of the complex.
The barghest is true to his word, swiftly loping off into the valley and out of sight. You return to the west side of the complex, where the wereboars escort you back to their leader's room. Karrigan snorts with glee when she sees the bracers. "Thanks! Hand 'em over, and yas can have a bowl of our stew!" she says with a tusky grin. She gestures to a pot full of a repulsive slurry of beans, beef, caramel candies, pears, and trout.
Shenuska turns her nose up at the stew and retreats to the wall to a. Get further away from the unpleasant 'food' and b. To avoid being surrounded when the were-boars attack as she fully expects them to do.
"That's so thoughtful for you to offer," Nime says with a smile. "But I really prefer my food unprocessed. Fresh vegetables, fruits. Uncooked meat. I'm sure you understand. Except for pastries, I do love pastries."
She hands over the bracers and waits expectantly.
Karrigan snaps the bracers into place on her arms as she stares intently at Rudrik. After a few seconds, she squeals with laughter. "Yas done us a solid favor, taking care of those fools and fetching our treasure. But we really can’t let yas pass. We ain’t really followers of the Peacock Spirit, but we were given a job to do... A job we enjoy!" Her hands dart for the hilts of her twin short swords!
The wereboar lunges past Nime to get to Rudrik, swinging for his neck! But she fails to get past the armor protecting him!
"You dare to betray me!?" Nime pronounces as her hair begins whipping around her in a nimbus of isolated wind. Her arms press outward and she calls down the anger of the winds.
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"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal." Shenuska says languidly, not even bothering to stand properly before assaulting the boar's mind with complex mathematical formulae.
Rudrik cracks his neck sideways and says, "Welp, you had this comin'." Then he's a blur of motion as he brings his sword to bear. (Or boar, if you prefer.)
Sighing at the betrayal, Theo gestured at the wereboar and cut loose with his flames.
Your response to the wereboar's assault is swift and brutal. Rudrik slices into her with his blade, then Theo scorches her, Nime scours her with searing wind, and Shenuska overloads her piggy mind. Even though she resists each of your spells, the lycanthrope is still quite badly wounded and exhausted from the magical barrage.
She holds up a hand and snorts. "Oy! Alright, alright, yas made your point! I don't wants to die! Spare my life, and I'll take my family and leave!"
Nime surprises herself by actually considering not letting up on her spell, but an instant later and the super-heated blast of wind ceases. She ponders making some sort of dire pronouncement, but can't really think of one. She settles on a half-hearted wave.
Once the wereboars have left, she shakes her head. "Why do people do things like that? I'll never understand it. Those type of actions only lead to pain and suffering for everyone involved."
"Shall we continue on?"
"The shrine." Shenuska reminds her companion again. "We need to deal with that first."
She leads the way back to the shrine and then steps aside to let Rudrik work his magic.
The wereboars scurry off, but not before gathering up their treasures to take with them!
You return to the Peacock Shrine, where Rudrik removes the proper tail rod to disable its wards. Searching through the remainder of the complex, you find a few things behind the desk where Old Haanshu the barghest was working--a ring of animal friendship and a stone golem manual.
There are winches on either side of the guardhouse. When turned together, they raise the portcullis blocking further access to the valley beyond.
Beyond the garrison, the inner valley of the temple compound sprawls. Most of the valley is taken up by the deep, still waters of a large lake, with the land to the east and south gently sloping up from the shoreline to the cliffs at the valley’s borders. The trees here are predominantly fir and pine, and ancient magical wards keep the temperature relatively stable at about 55º F.
A slightly overgrown path leads north towards a wooden walkway along the side of a deep-blue stone building that straddles the river that flows out of the lake. A single thin, delicate spire reaches fifty feet toward the sky from the structure’s vaulted roof, while stained-glass windows depicting ornate peacock feathers with open eyes in their centers peer out from the sides in every direction. On the opposite side of the building, a ten-foot-wide bridge extends to the west toward a towering cathedral in the middle of the lake.
The path also splits to the southwest, heading deeper into the forested valley.
Shenuska claims the books, but seems largely uninterested in the ring once she establishes what it does.
"Shall we leave the cathedral until last?" She suggests, "No point heading in there and then having to trek all the way out again if it turns out we missed something."
Nime closes her eyes and takes pleasure in the slight, but bracing breeze. "Yes, we should find out what's in the blue building," she says. "It draws me for some reason," she adds with a smirk.
When the path is pointed out to her for a second time, Nime's eyes widen a bit.
"Oh, yes. We can explore that first. I guess I just didn't notice it," she says with a purple tint to her skin.
The path winds through the forested valley for several hundred feet before it ends at a short peninsula extending out towards the lake. The foliage here has been trimmed back and sculpted into a beautiful garden with sweeping curves of flower beds, pleasantly sculpted fruit trees, and at its heart a sparkling marble fountain filled with crystal-clear water. A stone plinth at the fountain’s center supports a faintly glowing statue of a peacock. Yet for all the garden’s beauty and majesty, the sight of the cathedral-like temple rising from the lake’s waters to the north easily overshadow its grandeur.
Strange shapes are carved into the fountain; they seem to shift and flow, and looking at them for too long causes the viewer to get a mild headache. The peacock statue looks to be a third Peacock Shrine.
"Oh, that's beautiful," Nime says. She's not looking at the fountain, the garden, or the cathedral, but at the lake. "Do I have time for a quick swim while you deactivate the shrine?" she asks, as she begins removing what little clothing she wears.
"Wait a minute." Shenuska says, her sharp eyes moving swiftly over the lines. "Let's not rush into this."
Her eyes turn a perfect viridian as she examines the fountain and the statue for signs of (unusual) magic.
Nime pauses with her vest already off and her hands in the waistband of her shorts. "I'll go slower if it helps," she says as she takes care to slide her shorts down slooowwwly.
Rudrik can't help but chuckle for a moment, though at the same time he tweaks his handle on his sword-hilt, just in case something decides that now is the time to jump out and eat everyone.
Shen detects strong abjuration magic from the peacock shrine, as well as two auras of moderate illusion magic in the air around it...
"Wait Nime." Shenuska says, throwing out one hand. "I may need you for this." The words provide cover for a minor spell to enable her to see through invisibility...
Shenuska can now see two creatures floating in the air near the fountain. These strange creatures look something like emaciated children with clawed hands.
Before you can react, the air ripples as the creatures become visible. They fire rays of searing light from their palms, badly scorching Shenuska! Their bodies begin to glow, emitting a nimbus of brilliant light!
"S!*$, probably gonna regret casting this, but..." Theo muttered to himself as he started shaping a spell that was innately antithetical to the very concept of magic. It would reduce his own capabilities, but he was pretty sure something that could launch beams of fire like that would be immune to most of his conventional spells, ergo, plan B.
As he felt the negating field close in around him, he ran to try and engage one of the creatures, drawing his spear as he went.
"Shining Children!" Shenuska calls, managing not to scream. "No fire, no cold!" She adds, mainly for Theo. She then focuses hard and vanishes from sight, before retreating next to Nime and placing a hand on the undine's shoulder.
"Some healing would be lovely. Her invisible voice says quietly.
As Theo clambers up the fountain with the field of antimagic around him, the flames burning within the shining children are suppressed. But instead of seeming angry or upset, the creatures shriek with glee. The sorcerer hears a scratchy voice in his mind.
"Thank you, mortal! You have undone the binding magic that has kept us here for thousands of years! At last, we are free!"
The shining children fly up into the air before disappearing in twin flashes of light.
Spear ready for some stabbing, he stopped and looked rather stunned as the shining children explained their predicament and vanished.
"... huh. That... I-I'll be honest; I was just wanting to keep them from shooting fire at you guys." Once he was sure they were gone, he dropped the field. Then winced slightly as all of his enhancing magical items reactivated all at once.
"Okay, gonna have to practice doing that a few more times before seriously relying on that spell. I get this belt or headband modified much more and that might actually hurt."
Caught with her shorts half-way down, Nime settles for the expedience of just slipping out of them when Shenuska announces the presence of the shining children. Before she can invoke any magic to deal with the dangerous outsiders, Theo handles the situation quite neatly.
"Here, hold still," she says when Shen requests healing.
"Is it ok if I take a short dip now?" she asks, glancing down at her bare form. "Otherwise I got naked for no reason."
"You do know there's almost certainly some sort of monster in there right?" The still invisible psychic asks.
"Really?" the undine responds almost painfully. She looks back out over the serene water. "But it looks so peaceful and soothing. Are you sure there's a monster in there?"
She stares out over the calm water for another few moments before slumping. "Well ... poop," she says as she snatches her shorts from the ground and pulls them back on in frustration. Her vest simply gets shoved with disdain into her bag.
"Well let's disable the stupid shrine and keep moving then," she says before giving the inviting water just one more look.
Rudrik disables the shrine without incident, which Shenuska determines would have provided those within the cathedral with strong spell resistance.
You retrace your steps back to the tall spire of deep-blue stone. The doors that provide entry to the building are locked.
"You can swim on the way out if it turns out to be safe." Shenuska promises, in an attempt to mollify the undine.
"How are people supposed to get in and utilize the facilities?" Nime asks, confused when they discover the doors are locked. She shakes her head in annoyance before vanishing into a cloud of vapor to slip under the door and inside. She checks for anyone on the other side first and then if not finding anyone, she searches for the locking mechanism.
Rudrik grumbles something under his breath and sets to working on the lock.
(Disarm trap if one is found, otherwise pick lock)
Rudrik doesn't find any traps. As he starts fiddling with the lock, Nime dissolves into vapor and slips under the door. This simple chamber is flanked by two sets of doors decorated with a stylized peacock feather. The ceiling rises fifty feet amid a tangle of support beams for the narthex’s central spire.
Eight men and women clad in ostetantious robes adorned with peacock feathers are at alert in this room. They seem a bit surprised when Nime materializes in front of them, but they recover quickly. One of them steps forward with open arms. "Welcome to the Temple of the Peacock Spirit, pilgrims. High Priest Zurea would like to speak with you. Please, follow me."
"Oh, thank you. My name is Nime and I'd love to speak with your High Priest. However, I have to wait for my friends. They'd like to join us." She continues to look for the locking mechanism.
One of the men graciously unlocks and opens the door for Nime’s companions. ”Welcome! High Priest Zurea awaits. Walk this way, please.”
The eight cultists move to take positions in front of and behind your group.
"Oh, wonderful. I was so worried that this was going to have to be resolved violently and that really turns my stomach," Nime says with a smile. "I'm so glad that you're willing to work with us so we can deal with this peacefully."
Rudrik pauses as the door opens from the inside, picks still in hand and gauntlets temporarily on the ground so that he can feel the tumblers.
"Uh, hi," he says, his voice somewhat muffled from his adamantine helm. "This is, uh, exactly what it looks like?"
He quickly stows his tools back in the leather roll and puts that away, then scoops up his gauntlets and pulls them back on.
The eight cultists escort you out to the bridge over the lake. The 260-foot-long causeway connecting the narthex to the nave is 10 feet wide and features a low stone railing. The causeway itself is positioned just above the lake’s surface, supported by long stone pillars that drop into the depths of the lake below.
Looking into the waters, you catch a glimpse of something immense and tentacled swimming beneath the surface, but it does not bother you—perhaps due to the presence of the cultists.
The entrance into the nave consists of a pair of immense granite doors that swing open easily on well-kept, counterweighted pivots. The walls of this chamber are painted a deep blue and are lit with rippling lights from above, giving the impression of being underwater.
The lead cultist stops before a set of doors to the west, saying, ”We now step into the glorious presence of our high priest, Zurea.” He then opens the doors.
The high walls of this vaulted chamber are decorated with images of peacock feathers and whorls of light forming into an indistinct humanoid shape. Above, the ceiling is open to the sky, with the sun shining down from a boundless vault of blue. Dozens of brightly colored birds whirl and swoop in the air above, their calls filling the chamber below with music. To the north and south, flights of stairs lead upward to side buildings overlooking this plaza-like space. Rows of benches fill the room, all facing a ten-foot-square pillar of indigo stone that rises up to the west. Two stone bridges cross to this pillar from the northern and southern side buildings, converging at a pulpit some twenty feet above the floor. A resplendent statue of a peacock stands atop this pulpit. A set of stairs rises up from the far side of the pulpit to a double door set in the side of a steep spire that rises up to impossible heights, its apex vanishing into the blue sky above.
Four priests await you here, standing behind a fifth woman clad in resplendent finery. ”Greetings! Your arrival is most welcome, indeed. We get so few visitors these days. I am High Priest Zurea. I assure you, there is no need for violence. I hope we can talk like civilized people.”
"As far as they're concerned I'm Sorshen. If they ask." Shenuska's voice appears gently in everyone's minds. The psychic's lips never moved.
As they meet the high priest Shenuska's lip curls upwards, the picture of runelord disgust. She doesn't bother to speak however, simply making a gesture towards Nime as though giving her permission to speak.
Nime's brow furrows just a bit at Shenuska instructions to prevaricate.
"Uh, yes. We are civilized and would be very glad to straighten this all out peacefully. My name is Nime. And this is Rudrik and Theo. And I believe that you're probably already familiar with the Runelord, Sorshen?"
She turns back to face the priesthood.
"And who are your friends?"
"Carlao, Salvia, Roderigo, and Talissa," Zurea says, introducing each of the priests in turn. They nod in greetings. The high priestess bows to Shenuska. "Runelord. It is an honor to have you grace these glorious halls. Are you hungry or thirsty? Let us adjourn to the dining hall."
Long mahogany tables run the length of this room. Each table is heaped with servings of delicious-looking food and surrounded by several indigo-cushioned chairs, while crystal chandeliers accented with sapphires hang directly above each. A sideboard runs along the wall, holding several sets of silverware and collections of delicate wine glasses.
Zurea sits at the head of the table and gestures you to take your seats. She speaks a few words of power, and the tables automatically set themselves with delicious food. She gestures, and some of the priests move to pour wine into the glasses. As you get settled in, several more people file into the dining hall until a total of eight clerics and sixteen monks fill the chamber.
"Do not be alarmed. Your visit is a big event. They only wish to observe," Zurea says.
The high priestess begins to slice into the meat in front of her, taking small bites. "Now then, let us begin our conversation. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"
Nime seems happy to fill her plate, but she puts very little meat on it. She speaks a quick prayer over hers and her companions in Shelyn's name before partaking.
"We're out to save the world," she says as she takes a bite of some fresh greens. "Along the way we really must speak to ourselves about tampering with time because evidence suggests that we are."
"So once we finish this lovely meal, we really need to speak with Xanderghul," she concludes, shaking her head sadly. "I just hope that he's as civilized as you are. Rudrik, have you tried the yellow sauce? It's wonderful on carrots. Very spicy."
Zurea quirks an eyebrow. “Xanderghul? He was the Peacock Spirit’s most ardent worshiper and was responsible for building this very temple! But that was thousands of years ago, and Xanderghul has been gone, perhaps dead, for ages.”