The Grease spell disappears as it reaches its duration, leaving melted and crumbled metal shards where it once was. Vexas's sword clinks against the more substantial pieces of swarm debris. Nothing stirs. The rogue turned mage believes it has been destroyed.
Before you is the partially crumbled promenade that extends and elevates northward in the direction of the tower. The tower itself sits several hundred feet above you. It appears to be built into the side of a rocky mountain rising in the distance.
Brannart gathers a few of the larger pieces of debris for study.
Study by those more scholarly than him, anyway.
He waits for the others to rejoin the group, then will lead the way towards the tower, or at least the mountain in which it is embedded.
Fenna arrives far from pleased.
"That was really foolish you know. What if the fire hadn't been hot enough to damage metal? You had no way to escape and no backup plan."
"It had seen us and was moving fast towards us.
I didn't think we could outrun it. As a construct it was probably tireless, and running from it could have just led it to the colony.
Vexas wasn't able to climb the tree to get away from it, so he was at risk."
"If I wasn't able to escape, I would have died. If we had led it back to the colony, everybody could have died."
Hey! I would have made it up some tree... eventually. Vexas mutters as he re-sheaths his rapier.
These things were... odd. I suspect we're going to come across much more ancient Azlanti technology as we explore these parts of the island.
Fenna rolls her eyes. She thinks there's a lot of space between "fight on the spot" and "leading it back to the colony".
"Fine. Whatever. Let's go take a look at the tower."
Your journey along the promenade offers views of different rock formations, rubble, and boulders littering the surrounding countryside. You realize that this area was probably once part of ancient Azlanti civilization with buildings and monuments erected here, but catastrophe and the return of wilderness have made almost all of it unrecognizable - save for the tower in the distance.
The hills you have been travelling via the crumbling promenade staircase give way to sharp, rocky inclines. The tower, previously viewed from the distance, stands before you. It is at least three stories high and partially embedded in the rocky cliff. The cylindrical edifice seems frozen in time as it is oddly undamaged, as if the surrounding rock protected it like a mother’s embrace shelters a child. The structure has no windows or rooftop battlements. A metal door is set in the base of the southern side you now face and is slightly ajar. Two stone posts stand on either side of the doorway, hinting that there was, at one time, a walkway or some other structure attached to the tower. Above the door, carved into the tower is Azlanti text. With your recent lessons from the Celedons, along with Sho’s assistance, you are able to translate the ancient language.
”Spindlelock Research Facility: A Division of the Spindle Solution - Making Tomorrow’s Humanity Today. Authorized Personnel Only”
Brannart takes a look for any recent tracks around the door.
He is not able to discern anything of significance.
Hmm, a very inviting door. Curious.
He pauses and looks it over, not immediately trusting the situation.
Vexas notes that the door, along with the tower walls, emanate magic. Focusing on the area, Vexas also notes that the magic around the tower walls and door has a very strong aura. Also, although there is darkness inside the tower, Vexas notes a different and less potent aura inside.
Malakar see Brannart searching the area and goes to assist.
While searching Malakar had a thought. "It was the Skum's map that led us here we should be prepared that there could be more here."
"This is also where Eliza Haniver is supposed to have gone right?"
"According to the statue women yes. Even if she is here we should be cautious. We have found corpses controlled by squids and automata and a spirit claiming murder. Who knows what could happen to someone all this time after what has been found in these strange lands."
"Oh I'm not claiming it's good news, just interesting news."
Fenna doubles up with Vexas on scanning the place for magic.
Fenna confirms the auras that Vexas detected but neither are able to glean any more information from them. They can both deduce that the tower probably has strong Abjuration Magic protecting it, but the secondary magical aura inside the tower eludes them.
As Malakar studies the ground and considers the Skum they fought at the beach, the Druid notices at least five distinct footprints belonging to the amphibious humanoids. One of the prints is quite large compared to the others.
"So there are five Skum, with one of them a giant?"
Brannart pulls out a small wooden box, adorned with Desna's butterfly in the blue and white colors of the Eagle Knights.
"This would be a potent blessing. I would prefer to keep both hands on my ranseur, to protect us from enemies closing for battle, but if anybody with a free hand would like to use this when we find the Skum, they can."
"I think we should follow the tracks."
"It doesn't help me for the same reason." Fenna indicates her long spear. "But it's a good thing to keep in mind. Looks like it might be tight in there. Small spaces, lots of stairs or ladders."
While Malakar focuses on the Skum tracks, Sho spots dozens of long, straight concave tracks. Due to their size, she believes that these could have been made by the swarm of metal balls.
An ocean breeze brushes the mountain, painting the briny air with the soft fragrance of jasmine. The ancient Azlanti tower, seemingly untouched by time and catastrophe, stands before you. Its single door, standing slightly ajar, offers a possible opening into the past.
The ground outside, disturbed by unwanted foot and claw, is a reminder that you are not alone.
Fenna readies herself to enter.
"There's an aura from magic of some kind right near by. Possibly the first room past the door. It might be nothing to worry about or it might be something to worry about a lot. Be ready for either."
With her long spear Fenna won't be first through the door.
"Could it be a trap? Let's go slow and check everywhere."
Brannart will walk in front, with his ranseur in hand. He waits for everyone to check a spot before he steps there.
Malakar will take up position adjacent to Brannart if the door size allows with sword and shield out.
You push open the metal double doors and enter the tower. Light starts to glow from the ceiling above as if your very presence triggered the event. You are in a spacious chamber that appears to have been designed to awe or impress the entrant. Pale gray tiles decorated with faint, intricate geometrical designs cover the floor. The walls of the chamber are pure white, illuminated by the unnatural light emanating from the ceiling in a way that makes the chamber appear slightly larger than it really is. Ahead of you, in the center of the room, is a lifelike statue of a man in simple back robes with a helmet that obscures his face. In fact, you believe that you recognize this man. You remember back a few days ago when you chased the clockwork spy which led you to ancient Azlanti ruins. On a dais, there was a projected image of the same man speaking a warning to Azlanti citizens.
Beyond the statue to the north is another set of closed metal double doors. Both Fenna and Vexas, who are still Detecting Magic, note that the secondary auras (which are still quite strong) are coming from the statue and the northern fifteen feet of the east and west walls.
"Take heed! I believe there is an ambush or deception. The far east and west walls and the statue are not real. Either act or prepare yourself."
Malakar assuming an attack is eminent will cast bulls Strength on himself.
Brannart stands ready with his ranseur.
He moves up a bit to better defend his allies.
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With their ambush detected due to the vigilant Malakar, two Skum, each holding rune inscribed tridents, emerge through their respective east and west walls. With the entrance of the Skum through the walls, you can will your mind to see the barriers as illusions.
The Skum bare drooling mouths filled with sharp teeth. Their deep-red, bulbous eyes dance on their face, glistening with blood-filled intensity. They raise their sharp tridents as they advance.
Fenna moves up beside Brannart to complete the weapon barrier against the skums' advance. She braces herself, expecting the skum won't be shy about coming at them anyway.
Malakar takes a 5' step NE and than takes a total defense(+4 ac until next turn)
The Skum curses in an unknown language moments after Sho's arrow slams into his chest. The beast stares past Brannart and looks directly at the Ranger.
Vexas, feeling confident with Brannart nearby, moves to a better spot to help stop the advance of the injured Skum. With loaded crossbow in hand, the Halfling fires his bolt. The Skum is in mid-sentence when Vexas's bolt, travelling upward due to the rogue's stature, pierces through the beast's lower jaw and up through it's naval cavity. If effect, shutting its mouth and locking it in place; it's last words coming out as closed-mouthed mumbles.
The Skum advance, tridents leading the way.
Brannart, with his quick reflexes, is ready and lashes out with his ranseur. While his first attack misses to his left, he quickly adjusts his grip and crashes his polearm into the Skum to his right. With another quick motion, the veteran adjusts his grip again, and before the Skum to his left can get too close, Brannart pushes the ranseur through the beasts skull, dropping it for good.
After Brannart's attack, Fenna follows with a spear thrust of her own. The Skum, now bleeding profusely, took a significant beating but continues to move and closes in. It is so close that Fenna can smell the rotting fish it must have eaten for dinner as its hot breath blows over her face. It strikes out with its trident, but the Bard turns to the side and the tines brush against her leathers.
Fenna gives way as the skum advances, stepping back behind Brannart and thrusting again with her spear.
"You made a mistake getting close to me!"
@The very hurt skum
The Skum falls to Malakar's blade; the rune-lined trident clanging to the ground as it's former wielder drops with a thud.
The room is quiet. In front of you is the illusory statue along with similar walls that play with your mind somewhere between reality and fantasy. To the north are double-metal doors that are currently closed. You believe these are real.
Brannart looks at the tridents curiously.
"Any idea what these runes mean? Are the weapons magical?"
"Well, if there were five Skum, that is two down and three to go. Nice going, nobody got hurt.
Should we see what is behind the illusionary walls?"
Fenna begins to screen for magic auras again now she's inside and should be better able to pinpoint the aura she couldn't identify before. While she's fairly certain the illusions are what were giving her trouble, it can't hurt to be sure.
Along the way she also checks the skum to see if they have anything useful like keys on them.
While inside the tower, Fenna can tell that the major magical aura is coming from the statue and the walls. Although she is not certain, she is able to deduce that this is most likely an Illusion aura. Less prominent, are the auras coming from the two tridents along with two vials of a dark-blue liquid the Bard finds on the Skum. She finds no keys, but the doors appear to be unlocked. It looks like the doors can be pushed or pulled with use of small handles where their edges meet.
Fenna and Vexas also scour the room for traps but do not find any.
I guess it's safe to just push forward...
The halfling pushes on the doors just enough to see beyond...
Brannart moves up right behind Vexas, just in case there is anything on the other side of the door to be wary of.
After her second search Fenna gives an 'all clear', not that anyone was standing around with bated breath for it.
"I'm pretty sure the auras we were picking up outside are from the illusions. These are magical", she holds up the bottles. "So are the tridents."
"I can strap them to my pack if you can't carry them. However I feel we should press onwards we can identify things later once we know it is safe."
Malakar will take up whatever frontward position he can.
Vexas softly pushes on the doors and peers into a darkened room. Like before, the motion triggers something and the ceiling begins to glow in a soft, white light revealing a large hallway twenty feet wide and thirty feet long.
On the far end of the hallway is a curving ramp which appears to ascend to the floor above. The east and west walls each have a single door near the entrance while the walls beyond each door are covered in murals depicting kind-looking human adult figures smiling benevolently at children. The children, for their part, are smiling and appear healthy and happy. The figures, both adults and children, have tiny jewels orbiting around their heads in shining rings that resemble halos. Bold Azlanti script accompany the mural. From your lessons with the Celedons and Sho's assistance, you can read:
"Ours is the Great Work to see humanity achieve its greatest potential"
Peering around the room, Vexas notices one more thing. At the north end near the ramp, there appears to be a panel built into the wall about four and a half feet from the ground.
"One of us should guard the ramp while we check the other doors. I am more than happy to marvel at this history but after we secure the building."