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As Xukong is inspecting the gems, a cadre of dwarves approach from behind. You hear, in a somewhat menacing tone, instruction from the lead dwarf:
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“Amerel, if you wouldn't mind translating, please? “
Turning forward, Zarnel addresses the dwarves. “My friends, I admit that what we are doing here appears improper, and even sounds ridiculous. But please know that we travel with King Gutheran’s blessing. I am a Paladin of Vildeis, and I could not stand idly by if my own allies were committing an Evil act. We've been asked to retrieve these stones for posterity, not for our own enrichment. As strange as it sounds, please let us finish. We will then gladly accompany you to see the King himself, if need be. “
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The dwarves stiffen as their words are initially not understood by the majority of the party. As the party chatters amongst itself in a foreign tongue, the dwarves tense further, gripping their weapons ready to strike. When one of the humans replies in perfect dwarven a plea for permission and a mention of the King(!) they ease somewhat.
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You arrive here to find the place teeming with the dwarves of Jormurdun’s past evacuating the citadel at Gutheran’s request. They are ghostly, seeming to flicker in and out of sight—a sign that part of the cathedral is within temporal bubble and the rest of it is without. The dwarves go about their urgent business.
In your temporal reality, a demon suddenly appears behind you.
Las Lajas
Arin
Zarnel
Enora
Amerel
dretch
Xukong
The walls, floor, and ceiling begin to tear apart, revealing
countless miniature scenes from past ages. The entire sky
citadel groans as though Jormurdun were slowly dying,
and more visible ripples—now seeming to pulse with an
impossibly slow heartbeat—wash through the halls.
In response to the temporal oddness, word comes from Shaine for all Pathfinder teams to quickly return to the Cathedral. It appears to be a good thing, because just as the last of the Pathfinder teams makes its way in, things get even more dramatic.
Like a massive soap bubble, the temporal anomaly shudders violently, painfully distorting the portions of the sky citadel within. Energy arcs as Jormurdun fluctuates between its past grandeur and present ruin. Then, as if with a sigh of relief, the entire bubble implodes, retracting through the halls and returning Jormurdun to the present. The energy rushes over a pair of field agents sprinting from the halls below, instantly transforming the unfortunate Pathfinders into chalk statues.
For a moment, the whole city is silent. Kreighton Shaine takes a few tentative steps forward, looks about at the gathered Pathfinders, and gives a low, appreciative whistle as he holds aloft the strange device once worn by the demon Yealek-Vor.
[b]"Although we expected to find trouble in Jormurdun, the sky citadel has proven far more perilous than we had predicted. I can only speculate as to what this bizarre object accomplished, but it has given us an utterly unique glimpse into the sky citadel’s past. King Gutheran informed me that this is not the whole device but rather the largest of five pieces—the others he sent with his children who fled this place thousands of years ago. If we are to truly understand this 'Sky Key,' we may have to follow the millennia-old trails to wherever these dwarves went. But that is a task for another day. Thanks to your bravery and cleverness, we have cleansed Jormurdun of its foulest elements in only a day. With the city under the Society’s control, we can now explore at a more leisurely pace. Without a doubt there is much more to learn than we found in our hasty campaign. Before we look too far to the future, though, let us remember the past. Not all of our agents and comrades survived this expedition—lost either today or in the year of service to the Mendevian Crusade that brought us to this victory. Their names shall be recorded in the Grand Lodge to forever honor those who have fallen in the pursuit of knowledge. But for now, we can celebrate. Congratulation, Pathfinders. I am proud of your Unrivaled Accomplishment.”