"Other than the lizard puppy, did you see any baddies we should know about?" Soleil asks, then she adds, "Oh, and if you're done with the Aspis, you could always come join the Pathfinders. The Society never would leave one of their own hanging like happened to you!"
Her eyes narrow at Soleil in vague resent and she chooses to not acknowledge this claim.
She then looks at Ari-Ani, incredulously. Magic items?! No...
She shakes her head and continues, addressing the later questions.
No one was sent with me. I have no idea if the rest showed up while I was petrified. She vaguely looks about for signs of her former-fellow agents.
She quickly again eyes the doorway and waits for dismissal.
I have nearly nothing.
Talethia detects no magical auras on her person. And so the party finally releases the restored, former Aspis agent and she happily flees the temple.
With the basilisk dealt with, and no more rooms to enter in this area, the party finally heads through the double doors to the North.
A huge block of intricately sculpted stone dominates the center of this vast temple chamber. To the east, a flight of stairs leads up to a walkway, which connects to the stone block’s surface. Six pillars lie around the edges of the room, each decorated with carved patterns of scales and dragon heads. Several large paintings of dragons adorn the floor.
The centerpiece of the temple is a huge block of stone, the top of which is connected to a stairway by a walkway with a curiously round cross-section. When viewed from above, its shape resembles a warhammer.
A group of kobolds is frantically praying to a massive golden statue as if they wanted it to wake up. The winged statue is standing atop a fifteen-foot-tall block of stone, its back against a wall decorated with many gold-leaf murals depicting historical scenes. Suddenly, the statue starts moving, flexing its wings, and roaring in a voice resembling a metallic hunting horn.
The kobolds worshipping the golden being turn around and shout "They they are! They are here!"
The statue then addresses you all directly. "You should not have come here!" It then starts moving menacingly towards the group as the kobolds stare in awe.
Ari-Ani
Ki Chin
Gaskar
Mei
Soleil
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Gargoyle
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Tiny
Talethia
Meux
Magmara
Soleil and Gaskar can see that the walkway making up the shaft of the massive, stone hammer is quite uneven.
The gargoyle lifts off of his high perch and glides to the center of the Western section of the chamber which is made by the shaft of the hammer partitioning the larger temple.
As it reaches this spot it shifts to an upright position. With leathery-stoney wings flapping and creating an echo throughout the chamber, it stops to hover 25' off of the floor. It looks back and forth at the higher walkway, and the stone floor below where Ari-Ani is advancing.
The gargoyle has the predatory look of a bird that will opportunistically dive at prey from its advantageous position...
Tiny
Talethia
Meux
Magmara
Ari-Ani
Ki Chin
Gaskar
Mei
Soleil
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Gargoyle
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Tiny
Talethia
Meux
Magmara
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Ki Chin squeezes past Gaskar and Soleil and takes cover by the wall. He takes a peek from his position to get a better look. Now with a clearer view of the creature the magus suddenly remembers the old grippli's words.
“More than a thousand cycles ago, the dwarven refugees came to us from the distant north, fleeing a home lost ages ago. We aided the dwarves and welcomed them as neighbors in the nearby hills—a land even harsher than our own. When they fled their home for a second time, we offered them aid once more, though they requested only that we honor their memory and accept a gift: this talisman that bears the power to defeat the golden beast that now haunts Ashkurhall.” She holds up a melon-sized ovoid made of clay. “The descendants of Sigrin spoke of this as their greatest treasure, which they had left behind. It is a legacy that continues to this day, for none have ever braved the Golden Guardian to claim the riches as their own.”A chorus of croaking vocalizations follows the elder’s story, and she adds, “The talisman’s power is hidden within, and it must be unsealed in the beast’s presence. To do so too soon would expend its energy needlessly or even invoke a terrible disaster. We have entrusted you with this relic of our people; use it wisely.”
Ki Chin takes out the talisman and stares at it before looking to Gaskar and Soleil. "How are we supposed to unleash this talisman?"
"How are we supposed to unleash this talisman?"
With a sudden burst of radiance, the talisman opens, revealing a piece of metal with an ancient symbol engraved on it. Upon seeing it, the gargoyle immediately calms down and utters, “Welcome, friends of Ashkurhall.”
The kobolds are now even more dumbfounded. They look back and forth between their guardian and the Pathfinders in shock while murmuring quietly under their breath among each other. You pick out bits and pieces from their cacophony of confusion. “The idiot human who collapsed the corridor was a friend of yours, wasn’t he?” ... “You attacked kobolds a few weeks ago just outside these ruins, didn’t you?” ... “How did you get past Stinkeye? Did you murder him?” ... “You have been stealing our stuff!” (You gather "Stinkeye" is the name they've given to their pet basilisk.)
Then one of them, a trapper towards the back of their crowd, steps forward and levels his accusation more directly.
“What is this? You put a curse on our Golden God with that trinket!”
The kobolds generally cower but aren't fully backing down yet. They appear to still want answers to their questions.
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"There is no curse. We only want to understand what is happening. We mean no harm to you." With that, he puts down his weapons and puts his hands up in a non-threatening way. Gaskar slowly walks up, cautiously at first, not looking behind him at the others.
"Tell us more about your Golden God so that we can learn."
The kobolds seem slightly less agitated, but still want more answers.
But, but, you attacked kobolds a few weeks ago just outside these ruins!
"Ari-Ani speaks truth," Magmara says, following up on the claim. "We brought your lizard friend their toy and left them happily in one of the rooms."
The kobolds do finally calm down. Some of them even mill about and loosen their rapt attention on the Pathfindres. It's clear that this pleases the Golden Guardian too, as the gargoyle visibly un-tenses. He mutters to himself You do not look like dwarves... but does not press his suspicions for now.
The trapper kobold takes one more step forward. I am Naktok. I suppose it seems you're not here to cause trouble, but, what do you want?
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Seeing combat has been averted, Meux has stuck himself in a holding pattern. Attempting to further the ensuing diplomatic exchange, he tries to add his own bit of aid,
"Many, many misunderstandings have ended up in needless conflict and casualty on both ends. We are here to soothe the injury from past wounds-and in that vein of discourse, if you are in need of, and in lack of proper curative mystical ability, I am prepared to assist in the healing of any injury that which needs attention. Also, we are here to find a fellow pathfinder who has been lost to us."
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"Stinkeye is just fine, he might be a little sad because we left in the middle of a game of fetch he was enjoying, but he's safe. I was afraid he was going to try to follow me home!"
Talethia pulls out the longsword she's been carrying.
"This belonged to the friend we're looking for. Have you seen him, or find his body, maybe?"
Naktok waves off Meux's offer, as the kobolds further relax but still grumble a bit about cave-ins that Sharrowsmith caused.
No, no, longshanks. We have healing. But we know how your type like to get into trouble. We have... an assortment of healing potions that we may sell to you in your times of needs! Naktok flashes you a toothy grin as he appears to turn on his "sales charm."
They begin to disperse. A couple go to check on Stinkeye, and one of them returns flashing Naktok a curt "thumbs-up." The rest depart to go check on their various traps in areas that you previously visited, re-arming them where necessary.
The gargoyle, listening into the conversation finally chimes in. Right, your colleague Neiford Sharrowsmith. I regret to inform you he died in a cave-in some time ago.
He eyes the sword Talethia holds up.
Yes, that was his. You might have come across more of his things along the way here, but there is little else to do about the matter now. He was not as... careful, as I would have preferred. Perhaps the rest of you can take this lesson back to your organization.
The gargoyle winces as he replies Oh, it's there. Buried deeply beneath the rubble of the collpase. How much time do you have?
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Soleil turns on the charm as she turn to Naktok, who seems to be the leader of the Kobold tribe.
"I see. If only some big, strong, handsome dragon-blooded heroes were here to help us in our plight. How could we, poor, weak longshanks that we are ever hope to dig our foolish friend out of there? Oh, whatever is a poor girl to do?"
Magmara shakes her head at her "sister's" antics and interposes herself into the conversation.
"I apologize for Soleil's dramatics. She gets a bit carried away sometimes. If you would be kind enough to lend us some aid in digging out our friend's body, we would be greatly appreciative," and she gives a deep bow of respect as she finishes this statement.
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Relief fills Ki Chin as the gargoyle became friendly. He sheathes his weapon.
After hearing of Sharrowsmith's fate: "It is unfortunate but accidents happen. At least we know what happened and where his remains are. The venture-captain should not have come alone."
"The Aspis Consortium is heading this way and they are aware of the basilisk."
Naktok and the gargoyle look at each other and then turn back to Magmara. The Gargoyle responds Let the body where it lays, and let us not add more casualties over an effort to recover a dead man. I believe some of his effects where strewn about the same room, outside of the cave-in.
To Ki-Chin, Naktok remarks in agreement, and then picks up on his last comment. Yes, even we do not venture alone in these wild part. Oh? There are more of your kind arriving? Are they looking for the same person or do you know what they want?
The gargoyle frowns at this description.
Hmm, then it's good they're setting their traps again. You know, you really don't look like those who left me here to guard this place all of those years ago. If you could humor me for a moment, could all of you gather up on top of this massive stone hammer. On the back wall you will find a series of murals. The bearers of the Dwarven talisman would know what they mean, unless they had come by it through dishonest means. Please, take a look at the first one and tell me about it.
All of you shuffle up the stairs, make your way across the handle, and do in fact see murals up along the back wall. You inspect the first one...
The mural depicts a dwarf in a cave gazing up and shielding her eyes with a hand.
As the pathfinders look for meaning in the first mural, it does not come to them readily. Some kick rocks around on the stone surface while trying to manifest an answer, any answer. Others of you start to notice the subsequence murals...
#2 The mural depicts a fireball with long, trailing streaks descending from the sky.
#3 The mural depicts two dwarves locked in battle. One of them has long, braided hair while the other is bald.
#4 The mural depicts four complex symbols arranged on the four points of a compass rose slanted slightly to the right.
#5 The mural depicts rolling hills with dark gray, rocky soil, punctuated with veins of gold. A vine covered in lavender flowers crushes a giant lizard like a constricting serpent.
#6 The mural depicts a map with many rooms, some crude, others skillfully carved and rich in detail.
#7 The mural depicts a dwarf with his eyes cast to the ground and his hand held against his chest.
#8 The mural depicts a demonlike creature with horns and wings.
#9 The mural depicts a humanoid with bulbous eyes and bowed legs.
The creature is a grippli, a member of the same race of humanoids from whom the Pathfinders gained the dwarven talisman.
#10 The mural depicts a dwarf whose weapons and armor are made of wood and stone rather than metal. His skin bears numerous simple tattoos, and several bright feathers adorn his beard.
While her sister spins her tale, Magmara smiles and nods in an attempt to make it seem more convincing.
After this, the eidolon turns her attention to another mural to see if she can pull out some meaning from it.