Ray readies himself to lash out at the glass angel as soon as it steps into flanking position.
Argus's two attacks knock away the vast majority of the glass, so that only the iron skeleton of an angel, with a smattering of colored glass clinging to life here and there, remains to walk through the door after its quarry. It raises its claws to attack Argus again... and Ray's sword cleaves cleanly through its body. Two halves fall to the ground amid a pile of rainbow glass.
Shelyn will never forgive you.
Argus immediately kneels down and begins whispering a prayer to Shelyn, that he may dedicate the creature's visage to memory so its art can never truly be lost.
Ray sheathes his sword and sighs. "Well that was bracing."
NOW Bob flies back in and lands on Ray's shoulder eating the screaming soul-worm. [color=blue]"Glad I missed that, it looked rough."[/color]
Ray shakes his head disapprovingly. "You're useless, you know that?"
He heads back into the prior room and starts looking through the doorways for more danger.
Argus glances up, as if debating whether or not to speak. It's always a process, and the longer his stuttering speech goes on, the more uncomfortable it becomes for him.
Finally, he says, "M-my goddess is the goddess of art and b...beauty. All art, even d-d-depraved and b... b... blasphemous like this... it is to be p-preserved... unless l... lives are en-n-ndangered. But even then, it's a t-tragedy. I am-m p... praying to Shelyn for f-forgiveness, and to r-remember its visage. P... p... perhaps I will compose something about it." He's practically sweating by the end as he stands up, leaning heavily against his glaive.
Argus blushes. "Flute. I'm n-not very good." He seems reluctant to say more on the subject, and hurries into the room with Ray.
Amanteia wordlessly walks over to where the bolt she shot hit and picks it up. Noticing that it is broken in half, she throws it to the ground with a grunt.
I need more spells. Or I need to get better with this damn crossbow.
Her haughty demeanor never changes but a keen eye might notice the subtle shine of tears in her eyes.
There appears to be nothing else interesting in this room.
Raybin looks through the eastern archway into the room beyond. A wide stair ascends to the north, splitting into two graceful arches leading to a balcony that rings this room. The banisters are all made of elegant wrought iron, with teeth jutting from the ironwork and affixed to the railing. Three hanging lanterns of cut crystal illuminate the room.
An elaborate fountain bubbles merrily in the center of the room, spilling water down a series of stylized flowers into a wide basin below. Teeth have been scattered in this fountain, partially obscuring a colorful mosaic in the basin.
Despite his distance, Ray notices the sheen in her eyes. He knows pain when he sees it; it's an old friend, now. Not a good friend, but the sort that asks to crash on your couch for "just a couple days" and then never leaves.
He briefly considers talking to her, but what the hells would he say? "Are you okay"? Of course she's not f&!#ing okay. How could any of them be okay? Everyone they love is shuffling off to the Spiral. Everything is f$%$ing wrong.
Is this what Pharasma has been trying to warn him against? Is this the horror he was supposed to stop? Well I f&!!ing failed, sweetheart. Maybe you should have picked somebody stable to be your prophet.
He storms off into the next room before anyone can see the wetness of his own eyes.
When he reaches the next room, he steps up to the fountain and inspects it curiously, sweeping his magical senses over it in case there's magic about.
Argus, oblivious as always, smiles awkwardly at Amanteia before moving through the west doorway to take a look around. "W-wow. That's s... some fountain."
He studies it carefully, trying to commit it to memory for later, hoping it will inspire a composition.
|
Dellan follows Raybin into the next room and looks around, both awestruck and horrified. "This is an absolutely unhealthy love for teeth."
He turns his gaze to the fountain, which is significantly more pleasing to the eye, and finds himself lost in the merrily bubbling waters. He thinks despondently to the waters of the Jeggare River back home. He has not seen Korvosa in years. What if the devastation that struck Roslar's Coffer struck Korvosa, as well? The whole world? All their efforts to get back to Golarion. What if there is no Golarion left to return to?
As Argus examines the fountain, he realizes that he will be better able to see the mosaic underneath if he removes the humanoid teeth that are scattered all over it. The teeth are not adhered to the fountain in any way; he can simply sweep them aside if he wishes.
Ray detects no magic.
Argus reaches into the water and gently brushes away the macabre collection covering the mosaic.
Argus clears away the teeth from the mosaic and can now see that it depicts several skeletons in formal attire ascending and descending the stairs while chatting merrily.
The skeletons appear to be skipping certain stair steps in a pattern.
Argus looks at the mosaic, then at the stairwell, then back again, trying to mark the stairs in his mind that the skeletons are skipping.
"I t-think we n... need to only st... st... step on cer-rtain stairs. Follow m-me."
He leads the party to the staircase and heads up, carefully avoided the steps shown in the mosaic.
Bob flaps once as Ray follows the others. [color=blue]"Who traps their staircase? That's stupid."[/color]
Ray snorts. "For once I agree with you."
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Argus and Raybin feel a surge of magical confidence.
Raybin moonwalks up to the top of the stairs, spins, and does a little flourish with a crotch-grab. He's feeling absolutely tops.
Argus blinks at Ray's odd behavior, but can't say much. He feels pretty great, too. Just, y'know. Not crotch-grabby great.
You ascend the stairs. A narrow balcony surrounds the grand staircase and the fountain below. Stairs descend from the east and west and two hallways lead south.
The center of the south wall contains a small stage, raised two feet above the ground. The backdrop of the stage is a grimy city street, with a red-and-white striped pole. The stage contains a doll-sized reclining chair. A doll lies in the chair, its bloody mouth open wide. A second doll stands over the first, clad in a blood-spattered white smock like a barber-dentist, triumphantly holding aloft an extracted tooth.
Ray goes to the stage to inspect it, grimacing at the macabre display. "I'm officially with Dellan. This is a real unhealthy obsession with dentata."
He uses both his mundane and magical senses to scan the stage.
Argus ignores the strange man's comments and checks the southwest hallway for danger.
Taking a cue from the occultist, he sends out his divine senses and sweeps the hall and stage for evil auras.
The party detects magic on the dolls, on the red-and-white barber pole on the stage, and several auras on the other side of the wall that the stage backs up to. Argus also detects a faint aura of evil on the other side of the wall.
In a shocking twist that absolutely no one saw coming, the dolls animate as Ray approaches. The male doll (the barber-dentist) looks at Ray and calls, "Next patient, please!" while the female doll (the patient) rises from the chair and steps down.
Ray glances at the char, then glances at the party, then back at the chair. "Oh Hells no." He draws his sword.
"Uh, R-ray, I d-don't think that's..." He sighs at the sound of drawn silvered steel. "Wise."
He readies his glaive toward the direction where he sensed the evil auras behind the wall.
"I'll get those teeth one way or another!"
Amanteia (15/15 hp)
Argus (21/21 hp, 1 dex damage)
Boy Doll (0 damage)
Girl Doll (0 damage)
Ray (13/14 hp, 1 dex damage)
Dellan (16/16 hp)
Bold may act.
Argus grunts. "Ray, move back! I can't reach them."
These are soulbound dolls. They contain a soul fragment from a creature that must die at some point during the creation of the doll. Since most soulbound dolls were created against the will of the soul "donor", they are susceptible to mind-affecting effects, despite being constructs.
Additionally, they can cast deep slumber but have almost no damage-dealing abilities to speak of.
They have DR 2/magic.
Amanteia forms a sickly green glob of energy in her hands and launches it at the male doll.
The female doll approaches Dellan and Amanteia. Then the male and female doll simultaneously chant an incantation. A burst of energy erupts from each of their bodies, and everyone except Argus suddenly feels sleepy.
Amanteia slumps to the ground. Bob mutters something to Raybin about not feeling so good and falls from his shoulder.
They are affected by deep slumber. It is basically the same as sleep except that it affects more HD. The afflicted can still be shaken awake.
Amanteia (15/15 hp, asleep)
Argus (21/21 hp, 1 dex damage, holding)
Boy Doll (2 damage)
Girl Doll (0 damage)
Ray (13/14 hp, 1 dex damage)
Dellan (16/16 hp)
Bold may act.
Somnius shakes off the sleepiness but feels Amanteia's oh s@&* in his head. He takes wing as she falls to the ground, then rolls his eyes and lands on her head. He pokes her with his snout until she comes to.
Ray shakes his head, scooping up Bob and hustling back to make room for Argus.
"If somebody can wake Her Highness, ask her if she's got any enchantment magic. They may be constructs, but they're susceptible. A little bit of resistance to mundane weapons, but mostly hittable." He pats Argus on one meaty shoulder as he sidles by. "Go nuts, big guy."
He starts to tell the bird near Amanteia to shake her awake, but sees it doing so already. "Anybody else falls asleep from that, do like the bird."
Argus moves in and slashes at the doll with his glaive.