Once the vortex is gone, Heshan reverts back to human form, allowing him to use more of his magic to finish the job.
As Heshan intervenes the stink becomes even more intense.
Ohrmizd traces where Heshan's missiles disappear and he goes there to slash once more "Good eyes Heshan! Tell me where it moves!"
"Not to worry. The last of the ghuls have been taken care off..." One sniff of the air was enough for him to try and wave it off. "If only the stench was as easy to get rid of."
"Ah! Good thing! Thanks. Guess we can discuss with the tiger to let us have a bath at the garden..." Ohrmizd laughs in good will, smelling also under his arms just in case Heshan is not referring to the ghouls.
"Look, there are more doors in here, let's open them" the Kheleshite does all the usual rituals of checking them and all.
Then opens the doors.
The first door leads into a kitchen. This immense kitchen is dominated by a massive brass grill set in the center of the floor.
The two doors that go from there lead to huge, well-stocked larders filled with grain, wine, vegetables, spices, bread, and cooking supplies.
11 rank +4 wis+5 racial +2 Hunter's blessing
Omari tells the others "Ho, if my eyes do not deceive me, there is a door hidden in that wall there." After finding the flight of stairs up, he comments "This goes upwards, but before we go farther, let us search this place carefully. I would expect such a fearsome foe as the black jinni to have something of interest stashed away. Also, Rayhan, can you examine these larders for magic - I would have expected the perishables to have rotted long ago, and these seem fresh to me."
Omari cast guidance and detect magic as he searches the Jinni's feasting hall and the kitchens for loot...
11 rank +4 wis+5 racial +2 Hunter's blessing +1 guidance
"I think his rooms were most probably the ones were we found all the cool treasures at the other side of the corridor. But sure we can have a quick look at it" Ohrmizd also casts detect magic and searches.
"Before we continue exploring, it is perhaps needed to heal Heshan and Khedron" the Kheleshite looks at the wounds left by the storm "I can take care of our friendly sorcerer"
Grasping his hands around the Dawnflower symbol, he prays "Sarenrae, heal the wounds of this man, so he can keep seeing what we others cannot"
Ohrmizd produces then the pristine wand of healing of the group, and stabs with it on Heshan until he is fully healed.
Heshan elects to use Detect Magic the same way to find anything magical.
The healing from Ohrmizd was just enough for Heshan to fully heal from his wounds. Many thanks for the healing my friend," The sorcerer smiles.
The larders are indeed magical and everything removed is magically replaced within short time.
But neither in the kitchen, nor in the large room is anything magical found that would fit such a powerful creature. The dishes are probably worth something, if the stink of the rotten food can be removed.
Ohrmizd takes a dish and throws it over his shoulder for it to crash on the ground "Ah, Osirians say that gives luck"
Nodding in appreciation of all the fine magic here, the Kheleshite waits for Omari to complete Khedron's healing, then points to the stairs "Ok, I think it is time to continue exploring"
Once the party is ready, he commands the carpet to fly up the stairs.
Omari casts a pair of healings on Khedron, and then follows Orhmizd up the stairs...
Heshan shrugs when nothing of interest could be found in the kitchen. So he grabs something that might look edible for himself before flying up the stars to follow everyone else.
Part of the cupola’s brass dome is cut away to form grand balconies. The southwest balcony provides a breathtaking vista of the City of Brass spreading out below, almost like a detailed map in miniature. A curtain and a door lead to the inner part of the dome.
With the group now healed, the Kheleshite flies up the stairs.
"There is a beautiful sight in here. Do you think they have a Temple to Sarenrae in the City of Brass?" Ohrmizd approaches the door and checks it before opening it.
Omari wanders out closer to the edge of the balcony, both taking in the view and getting a better shooting angle if there is trouble. Khedron is at his side. Omari replies to Ohrmizd "If legend is true, you will find everything and anything in the City of Brass... Perhaps more concerning is what will find you?"
As Ohrmizd checks the door and Omari the environment, a huge red dragon rises unseen from the other side of the dome and lands on top of it. He looks down checking out every single one of the party before moving on gliding in circles around the palace.
The door is not trapped.
The Kheleshite asks Sarenrae for her blessing, renewing his shield of faith and casting greater magic weapon on Zenzirad.
"I don't like that either" answers Ohrmizd following very seriously the red beast with his eyes "And I like even less giving time for a smart magical creature like that one to plan ahead of us"
Coming to the middle of the balcony and addressing the wyrm on Draconic, Ohrmizd holds his tongue surprisingly well on the presence of such a magnificent foe "Great wyrm. Excuse our arrival. We are just a small group of humans that had the bad luck of ending trapped in this palace by chance and we have no desire on your treasures"
Heshan's head tilts back at the presence of a massive dragon. "Well, that is a surprise," Heshan blinked. Seeing that the inquisitor is taking the diplomatic step, the sorcerer joins in. "We have no interest in disturbing your business whatsoever."
The dragon doesn't seem interested in small talk. It ignores the puny humans.
Also the tower with the dome you're in would have a hard time hiding a hoard worth of such a dragon, with nothing of it in sight yet. After all, even the slaves in the city of brass are rich beyond the imagination of most humans. How much more a possibly centuries old dragon.
A bit nervous by the presence of the dragon, but contempt it is not attacking, Ohrmizd looks at the door he was checking "Don't think the dragon hoard is here. And he is out of the Palace, so maybe he is just some kind of lurker."
Slowly, he opens the door, attentive to the dragon's reactions.
The chamber is empty.
"Hmm... perhaps the dragon hid it somewhere out of plain sight." He would use Detect Magic in order to find anything of interest.
Omari thinks "The fire giant made no mention of a dragon, and we have seen no space that would be a lair for a beast of this size; there is definitely not room for it here, on top of this tower... Could this be some trickery? An illusion perhaps?". He studies the dragon intently, looking for clues or something that might show the beast to be an illusion...
12 rank +4 wis+5 racial+2 Hunter's blessing
+8 Cleric + 4 wis +1 resistance +2 racial vs Illusions
No hard wishing makes the dragon go away. But you notice that he is wearing a load of interesting jewellery.
"Or maybe he is just on a visit to find some gold for his own hoard..." Ohrmizd states, worryingly following the movements of the beast.
Seeing the room is empty, the Kheleshite moves to the curtain, and slowly opens it with his scimitar to reveal what is there at the other side.
This chamber is centered between a set of elegantly etched brass doors and shimmering curtains of gold, platinum, and copper thread woven with patterns that ripple like waterfalls of liquid metal. The walls, floor, and ceiling are of brilliantly polished brass. A single ornate chair sits in each corner of the room, while at the room’s center a patch of air shimmers and wavers as if radiating intense heat.
Ohrmizd raises an eyebrow at the finding "Guys. You ought to see this"
Removing completely the curtain, the Keleshite fully enters into the room "What do you think is this perturbation in the air? Might it be related with the curse holding us here?"
"So it looks like the room itself is hot as well." Heshan surmised. He would again see if the artifact could be in this room.
While looking at the anomaly in the air - which is magical - Heshan finds his reflection on the polished brass wall to change.
"This palace is accursed - an inescapable trap devised by the grand vizier of the sultan’s court. I have not the time to tell my tale, though a tale worth telling it is, but I too am a victim of this eternal prison and grow weary of its confines. If you want to be free, then heed my words well, for we may each hold the key to the other’s escape."
Omari (and Khedron) has been keeping a careful eye on the dragon, letting Ohrmizd take point...
Ohrmizd halts a bit, surprised by the sudden reflection in the room. His first instinct is to ask "Who are you?"
But despite curious about the history of the mysterious reflection, he tries to discover more about what is going on in the Palace "You say the Palace is accursed. We have been told this is the product of a powerful artifact in the upper levels. We have been climbing up and up until we arrived here, at the top of the Palace. What is this artifact that traps us here?"
Omari slips over to the wall next to the curtain, getting closer, to hear the reflections words. As he does, he calls to Rayhan "Get over here, you need to hear this!". He settles in for the reflection to tell it's tale...
"Indeed, this is interesting." Rayhan comments.
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Heshan's reflection turns back to normal but Ohrmizd's changes. "An eye of brass was forged of old to grace the grand sultan’s court. This eye could pierce the veils of secrecy, distance, and time with its impossible gaze to bring the grand vizier of the grand sultan tidings for his master’s ear. This Impossible Eye is that which binds us even now, but it was stolen and now lies within these very walls, the cause of our imprisonment and the means of our escape."
Next is Khedron's reflection. "A fiery orb from days of old lies suspended betwixt brass and sky, yet hidden from mortal eye. It is the key to your quest. In ancient adoration did this fiery heart lie, and only by heart’s blood of the true believer can the way be opened."
"A bit like this scepter." The sorcerer brought up the magical item for all to see. "So who has the eye now? Perhaps we could help take it back for you."
Khedron gets his face back in the reflection and you're left with your own wit.
"Speaking in riddles he does. Not getting freed he'll be that way." Rayhan comments, rolling his eyes at the game he assumes the reflection is playing.
"That anomaly is an extradimensional space, but the entrance is not accessible. The words 'within these walls' could mean inside this whole building, or for simplicity, we assume right here. Then we have this space we can't get in. And we need to search for the key 'between brass and sky'."
Ohrmizd observes and listens the reflection with astonished surprise "Mmm... well, given this place is made of brass itself, then the point between brass and sky cannot be other that the topmost of the building" he points up to the roof "Seems we might need to go up over that roof and check"
"But... what is this about the heart blood from a true believer?" he looks down at his own heart "A believer on what?"
The Keleshite moves his hand in front of the reflection, not knowing well how to make it work.
Omari chips in "If we took time for me to pray, with Erastil's aid, I could perhaps see what is hidden from mortal eyes." He pauses, and then continues in a more immediately practical bent: "However, perhaps we should leave this riddle to be considered at our leisure, and instead, explore the rest of the castle?"
"Good idea that is also something we will not have to wait all day to complete," Heshan agreed to Omari. Just in case, he decided to use the scepter in order to find anything that his naked eye may not have found by itself.
"Sorry to disagree, but you have seen the place. It is a massive structure full of enemies wanting to kill us and deprived of any treasure of note." Ohrmizd points towards the reflection "Javhul is not here but at our home plane, probably stirring a war with our friends as we talk. Sorry but I think the only task for us here is breaking out of this jail, and this reflection here and the Eye it talks about, it has been the only real hint we have to solve what is going on here"
"I don't want to go down now to lose more time fighting people who has caused no harm to me. My fight is against Javhul. And for that we need to break the curse and escape this plane of brass"
"Ok, yeah, our primary objective is getting back and putting an end to Javhul. But do you have any inspiration about how to solve these riddles, because I don't. If the answer is no, then we may as well be doing something..."
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"As we can't leave this place and the talking reflection knows that, and we still shall be the ones to break this curse we can assume that the solution lies somewhere here." Rayhan thinks out loud.
"The best case would be to get the meaning of the riddle and go directly there. Worst case we search everything."
"But we probably can limit the search somewhat, as 'between brass and sky' hopefully doesn't mean the whole place. Or at least bring the places we intend to search into an order that's from the sky downwards."
Looking around and through the curtains, realizing again that he is in the highest point of the place he adds "It would be ridiculous if if just were in the next room."