YES, I AM CURSED WITH YOUR HORRIBLE FACE.
“There is an Eye of Aroden on the chest of the statue. Given the general design and inclusion of a sword, I would say no visitors were allowed beyond this point.”
“A high priest of Aroden would likely to have known how to get past it, but I don’t.”
"Good thing I'm not a visitor, then."
Tikomel approaches the statue and pokes at it with his improvised mace.
Rulean is still pondering if there is a way to avoid getting hurt as Tikomel moves forward. A bit impulsive, but we probably would have ended up doing this anyways.
As soon as Tikomel enters the room, the statue comes to life. It steps down off of its base.
Tikomel glares as the statue starts moving. "Hey now. I didn't even try to go past yet. Settle down."
With shield ready, Rulean moves in to help Tilomel against the statue.
"Um. You got this!" Givzib says in a way that is not as inspiring as the words might otherwise be and promptly disappears.
Those with scales react quickest.
You Shall Not Pass! Round 1. Bold may act.
Rulean (78/78)
Madame Darkmoon (90/90)
Tikomel (76/76)
Statue
Greenbriar (91/91)
>Rumbleweed
Ephraim (71/71)
Rulean raises his shield and moves to the other side of the statue. He then tries to crack it with his pick.
Fatal d10
crit, die increase, extra die for fatal
"Shield is a good idea." Tikomel casts a shield of his own, then funnels some of the magic into his weapon. "Behind you," he says tauntingly to the statue as he dimension hops a few feet, his mace already swinging before he arrives.
Focus Points; 3: ☑□□
Cantrips:
Shield
Frostbite
Ignition
Caustic Blast
Telekinetic Hand
Rank 2 (studious):
Mirror Image
Sure Strike
Rank 3:
Flame Wisp
Cave Fangs
Rank 4:
Draw the Lightning
Fire Shield
Rulean raises his shield and strides into the room. There he makes proficient use of his pickaxe. The point drives hard into one of the preexisting cracks, and the iruxi yanks several large chunks free from the statue.
The kobold junk collector teleports closer to the statue and slams his shield into the statue--magical energy blasts off of his shield .
You Shall Not Pass! Round 1. Bold may act.
Rulean (78/78) (shield raised)
Madame Darkmoon (90/90)
Tikomel (76/76) (shield spell)
Statue (-63 hp, construct armor broken)
Greenbriar (91/91)
>Rumbleweed
Ephraim (71/71)
Despite the impressive beginning of the battle, the gaps where stone was cracked away begins to fill with new stone magically. The statue turns and swings its massive hand at Rulean. The iruxi interposes his shield, but the force rattles through his arm.
The stone fingers close around Rulean and lift him upward. The statue presses him painfully into the burning coals of its brazier.
You Shall Not Pass! Round 1. Bold may act.
Rulean (56/78) (shield raised -6 hp) (grabbed by statue) (persistent fire: 3)
Tikomel (76/76) (shield spell)
Statue (-63 hp, construct armor broken) (grabbing Rulean)
Greenbriar (91/91)
>Rumbleweed
Ephraim (71/71)
Madame Darkmoon (90/90)
Ephie blasts the stone with lightning, then with axe:
The statue moves too slowly to avoid the sudden lightning bolt that Ephraim summons. The half-orc craftsman expertly strikes the statue at the perfect spot with his axe, and every seam and crack in the statue loses whatever power holds it together.
The stone falls to the ground in a pile, and Rulean falls among them. The burning embers cool and grow dim. The iruxi hastily puts out the flames on his clothes.
The chamber is quiet while you tend to Rulean's burns and bruises. While others search, they find a folded piece of paper. The lack of weathering and crispness of the script indicates that it is something modern and lost not long ago. However, it is in a language that none of you speak.
Ephie uses the scroll of comprehend language he bought long ago.
Ephie uses a valuable scroll. Upon the parchment, he reads what appears to be a high-end shopping list. Most of the items have been crossed out. The following words are not yet crossed off:
"ghost's diadem
balm
goblet
white stole"
Smooth stone stairs, worn down by countless generations of footsteps, wind downward to an intersection of hallways adorned with dusty rugs and ornamented with symbols of winged eyes. Discarded bones, bits of broken weapons, and an awful smell all provide evidence of recent xulgath occupation.
The ceilings are at least twelve feet above the floors. The rugs on the floor are dusty but thick and muffle your steps. Twenty feet away is an intersection of wide halls. Those blessed with night vision can see that the hall opens into a room on the other side.
As you approach the intersection, you see a ghostly form approaching from the opposite way. He wears liturgical vestments and wears a diadem on his brow. The diadem is a whole version of the broken one you found on the xulgath demon-caller and is properly adorned with moonstones.
Rumbleweed senses something approaching from each cross hall, though there is nothing visible.
"Halt!" the ghost commands imperiously. He speaks with an archaic Taldane accent. "I am Ulthadar, high priest of Aroden. I demand to know why you are here!"
Ephie considers hat he knows of the Dead God.
We are pilgrims of a sort, seeking the mysteries of the Aeon towers and their impact on the surrounding area.
Using a cog and wires from his crafting kit, the wizard deftly crafts an unblinking eye balanced between brass and silver wiring — the earth and the heavens, respectively.
He holds the religious symbol of Aroden in the palm of his hand. One of the twelve guises of Aroden was a craftsman, no? Please, take this small offering of respect.
Ulthadar raises an eyebrow at Ephraim's proclamation. He appears to wait patiently while the half-orc fashions the metal wires into an approximation of the Eye of Aroden. However, those watching closely would note that the corners of his mouth move ever gradually downward as Ephie works.
"Craftsmen? We do not need craftsmen in the Moonstone Hall. We need soldiers!" the ghost shouts unhappily. "And we certainly do not need any more thieves!" The ghost's eyes glow with ethereal light. Wind begins to swirl within the intersection, tugging at the tasseled edges of the rugs.
“If you are speaking of the reptilian Xulgath, they are far worse than mere thieves. They worship a demon and seek to steal what is left of Aroden’s power. We protected a different Aeon towers from one band of them.”
“We are here to stop these xulgath and hopefully their catfolk collaborator from doing anything here.”
“Part of my training in the ways of Kurgess included battle.”
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Tikomel shies away from the apparition and is glad to let those more versed in theology take the lead here.
"Craftsmen? We do not need craftsmen in the Moonstone Hall. We need soldiers!" the ghost shouts unhappily. "And we certainly do not need any more thieves!"
"Hmph," Tikomel says grumpily. "Why does everyone call me a thief?"
"Those troglodytes, yes! Exactly!" the ghost's glowing eyes brighten. "The orc and the lizardfolk look like they can handle their weapons. You will be my soldiers," Ulthadar states with a tone of one who has presupposed the outcome. "You will clear the troglodyte infestation from my halls. In return, I will allow you to keep whatever you find. Material things are ephemeral but the sanctity of these halls is priceless."
"The orc and the lizardfolk look like they can handle their weapons. You will be my soldiers," Ulthadar states with a tone of one who has presupposed the outcome. "You will clear the troglodyte infestation from my halls."
"Hey!" Tikomel says while pointing his cobbled-together mace at the phantom, "I'm not a lizard either. I am a Dragon, thank you very much."
"I will accept the terms of your agreement though. Clear out the stinky ones in return for rightful ownership of all the stuff in here."
Rulean nods, then says “You will allow my companions…” as he gestures to Tikomel and the other group members “…to continue helping us, correct?”
After a moment’s pause to give the spirit a chance to respond, Rulean gestures back the way the group came and says “I must apologize for the damage we did to the guardian statue. We did not know of any way to get past it other than battle.”
“Are there other guardians ahead, and would there be any way for us to get past them without having to destroy them? I have no wish to destroy the protections that were in place, but fear we will need to go into guarded areas in order to destroy these xulgath.”
"Yes. All of you are commanded to expunge the troglodyte infestation," Ulthadar says with a wave of his ghostly hand. "Do not worry about the guardian of the faithful. The power of Aroden restores it whole every dawn." He says with an awe that suggests he might not be aware of historical events and might be an unreliable informant. Then he adds irritably, "There are other wards meant to guard holy treasures. Hopefully, the troglodytes are succumbing to them and will make your job that much easier. Regrettably, no other chambers are warded thus."
Ehpie nods and moves on, wary of these other wards that are not in chambers.
The ghost becomes increasingly translucent as Ephie presses forward. "The impatience of youth..."
Within the intersection, you can see a door at the end of the right-hand hallway and a double door at the end of the left-hand hallway. The hallway in front of you leads into a larger chamber. Those of you with the ability to see in low light can make out the edge of a large rug to the right within that larger chamber.
"Door one, door two, or door zero?" Tikomel ponders aloud as he looks down the hallway, keeping a wary eye on anything that might be moving around down there and spring on them suddenly.
Rulean indicates he doesn’t have a preference for which direction to take.
Ephie moves toward the double doors.
You turn down the left-hand hall. Your footsteps fall softly on the overlapping rugs as you walk down the tall halls. Tikomel stops you half-way down the hall to point out a hidden doorway on each side of the hall. After a bit of investigation, you determine that the hidden doors are neither locked nor trapped. You carefully open them one at a time to peer inside.
The secret door to the north reveals what you suspect is a pantry. Many of the dried goods that once stocked this room have crumbled to dust over time, but a few withered bundles of desiccated herbs and glass jars filled with gray, viscous sludge stand on wooden shelves built into the western wall. A door is set in the north wall of the pantry.
The hidden door to the south reveals a large storage closet. Thick dust and cobwebs blanket the mundane cleaning equipment stored here.
Finding nothing but the mundane within these two secret rooms, you return to the original path and open the double doors. Your light reveals a massive, round chamber--so large that the back of the chamber is shadowed, though those with better eyes can make out the other side well enough.
Twelve statues ring the perimeter of this round, cavernous chamber. The exquisitely detailed stonework depicts humans facing inward toward the room’s center, each wearing a mask of cloth, leather, or stranger materials. Low stone steps lead to a circular dais at the center of the room, where an inscription has been carved deeply into the gray stone. Double doors exit to the north and east.
Looking at the statues, Rulean tries to recall how many aspects of Aroden there were and figure out which if any of the statues relate to those aspects.
As he is doing this, he says “Anyone recall all the aspects of Aroden?”
Tikomel spends a little bit of time going through things in the pantry. He holds up one of the jars of grey sludge. "Bah. Even I won't eat that. Goblin food is all." He sets the jar back down and follows Rulean to the latest statue. Fortunately this one doesn't seem to move when they approach.
As he is doing this, he says “Anyone recall all the aspects of Aroden?”
"Who?"
Ephie shrugs. He referenced an aspect of Aroden to an Arodenite priest who once dwelled here just a few minutes ago and was chastised.
He moves into the center of the room.
Nothing untoward or exciting happens when you enter the room. The ghost was telling the truth, so far. Ephraim investigates the room and finds that each mask radiates divine energy when tested. The half-orc craftsman nearly misses it, but he also notices a complex ward around each of the masks and between the masks. The two missing masks imbalance the warding, making it stronger, like a bowstring pulled tighter than it should.
The twelve statues clockwise from the door you entered are:
A muscular woman swings a carpenter’s hammer. This statue wears a patchwork mask of balsa wood, iron, and leather.
A willowy man carries a sculptor’s tools and a painter’s palette. This statue wears a mask woven of boar’s bristles.
A stooped, elderly man with an empty bowl in one hand reaches out with the other. This statue wears a mask of burlap cloth.
A broad‑shouldered woman clutches a sheaf of wheat and a sickle. This statue wears a mask woven of dried grain stalks.
A burly man hauls a net laden with fish. This statue wears a mask of silvery netting.
A cloaked woman crouches low, aiming a heavy bow toward the center of the room. This statue wears a mask of brown leather adorned with autumn leaves.
A pudgy man carries a scale under an arm and holds out a hand with a palm full of coins. Its mask is missing.
This statue depicts a wizened woman hauling a stack of books in both arms, a quill tucked behind her ear. This statue wears a mask constructed of stiff parchment.
A young man holds a crooked staff and reaches down to stroke a stone lamb. This statue wears a mask of spun wool.
A stocky woman stands at attention, a crossbow strapped to her back and longsword and daggers at her belt. This statue’s mask is constructed of pieces of broken blades.
A lanky man displays lengths of cloth draped over an arm and holds a needle and thread. This statue’s mask is missing.
A grinning woman touches the dagger at her belt and holds up a purse with cut strings. This statue wears a mask of black satin.
Ephie begins circling the room…
From Ephraim's perspective, the statue of the muscular woman comes to life and swings her hammer at his head. For everyone else, Ephie's eyes widen suddenly.
Complex Trap
Rulean and Tikomel may act before the trap acts again.
OW!
OW!
"Ow?" Tikomel looks over at Ephie, then around the room to see where an attack came from. "What is this Ow you speak of?"
Not finding anything of note in the room other than these masks and statues, he starts tinkering with one of them.
Rulean goes over to the statue that Ephie is at and tries to figure out what is happening.
Tikomel and Rulean struggle to figure out how to stop the mysterious effect that Ephie set in motion. They soon discover by direct experience.
Each of them sees the muscular woman swing her hammer at their heads with crushing force.
Rulean
Tikomel
"OW!" Tikomel shouts, echoing Ephriam. "These unmoving statues sure move quick."
He nervously glances at the others to see if they are staying here and trying to deal with things or if everyone is getting out of the room to regroup. Tikomel definitely doesn't want to be the last one left in the room.
Ephraim and Tikomel realize that the experience of having their heads cracked open is illusionary at the last moment, though the experience leaves them mentally drained and a little shaken.
Rulean
To both of them, now that the image is passed, the statues all seem no different than before.
Rulean gives a grunt of pain as he experiences the same thing as Ephie and Tikomel had.
“Guess we should be more careful about inspecting these statues.”
He then suggests that a team of two inspect each statue and offers to take lead on the religious elements of said study.
Nothing else happens to anyone else in the room, and nothing further happens after a few breaths. It seems the ward has returned to rest though further meddling may wake it again.
Though nobody suffers any painful visions after the first round of attacks, everyone retreats out of the room. You set an impromptu camp in the middle of the hall to rest and tend to the psychic injury.
While you finish resting, you hear distant chatter of someone or something else within the complex. While it is too distant and muffled to understand, the cadence differs distinctly from draconic.
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Rulean stomps on a cricket and then gestures in the direction of the noise. If others agreed he will start moving in that direction with his shield raised.
"Bothersome statues," Tikomel complains once they retreat from the room.
When they hear the chattering of something else, he follows Rulean quietly.