The bird detaches from Niza and flies over towards green, perching at her feet on the pillar.
Sweet, front row tickets to the show!
Arboreal and Danny Boy manage to resist the alluring song, eventually. The druid/wizard/half-elf, all hybrid, pathfinder pulls a wand and indicates he will help anyone else under the sway of the music.
Dimple thinks oh heck no punk, I got this. It's my WHOLE IDENTITY TO OUTSHINE THIS STUPID BIRD LADY. But then, she didn't.
Niza sends another bit of magic at a Harpy, thunking it solidly again. Albis flies off to get his head smashed in.
Stormy seems to be a bit confused. First she is happy her kitty cat just tore a harpy lady in half. But, this darn pillar is in her way to get up to the first row. And a dang bird is already sitting up there!
Kasvot shows Niza how to really cast the spell, launching three missiles instead of a puny one.
Unfortunately, AGAINST ALL ODDS, the missiles deflect off the creature's fiendish resistances!
Lastly, LGZ moves away from the harassing birds and turns to whack them a good one.
for
for
The half-elf takes a couple shots as he moves. The two harpies follow him, swinging away again!
for
Being big apparently is not that much of a benefit, at least when it comes to dodging attacks. He is hit again. But he does manage to land three strikes throughout the whole deal!
(Haste Sans LGZ up 5 rounds)
Dimple
Niza & Albis (Captivated)
Stormy (Captivated & trying to Climb?) & Shade (Bloody Feathers in his mouth)
Kasvot
LGZ (-29 HP)
Green Harpy (Blind & Singing)
Red Harpy (DEAD)
Blue Harpy (-17 HP & Flying)
Yellow Harpy (-23 HP & Flying)
Arboreal (Prot Evil 9 rds)
Bold may act! Please use the top-down map in the middle for movement and placement. The side view map is just to give you a feel for the vertical aspect. It isn't to scale (horizontally).
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Arboreal skirts round out of reach of the harpies and applies protection from evil to Stormy
Maybe I should have feather fall studied for these occaissions
Looks up at Albis Sorry cant fly after you yet
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Arboreal zips around the battlefield and activates his wand, blessing Stormy with another chance to break the song.
Dimple releases a cacophony of sound behind the two harpies that keep... harpassing (I'm stealing that Kasvot, it was awesome) the half-elf.
and
One falls stunned to the ground, the other remains in the air.
Then Kasvot sends three balls of force at her, knocking her from the sky as well!
(Haste Sans LGZ up 5 rounds)
Dimple
Kasvot
Niza & Albis (Captivated)
Stormy (Captivated?) & Shade (Bloody Feathers in his mouth)
LGZ (-29 HP)
Green Harpy (Blind & Singing)
Red Harpy (DEAD)
Blue Harpy (-27 HP, Stunned, Prone on Ground)
Yellow Harpy (-41 HP, Unconscious, Prone on Ground)
Arboreal (Prot Evil 9 rds)
Bold may act! Please use the top-down map in the middle for movement and placement. The side view map is just to give you a feel for the vertical aspect. It isn't to scale (horizontally).
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The spell seems to have no impact and Stormy continues to try to obtain the divine song.
Its foe vanquished, Shade considers the field. He is tempted to pounce on the thrashing and stunned blue. Instinct drives that choice. But he is now more than instinct as he has a friend. And that friend is in danger. He charges towards green, leaping at her.
Young female Lion - shadowy grey black coat
N Large animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
Defense
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AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+5 armor, +3 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size) hp 51 (6d8+24)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +4 (+4 morale bonus vs. enchantment effects) Defensive Abilities evasion
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d8+6 plus grab), 2 claws +10 (1d6+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +10, 1d6+6)
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Statistics
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Str 23, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 24 (28 vs. trip)
Feats Light Armor Proficiency, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (claw)
Tricks Air Walk, Attack, Attack, Attack Any Target, Come, Defend, Down, Fetch, Guard, Heel, Stay, Track, Work
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 to jump), Climb +9, Perception +7, Stealth +2, Swim +9
SQ air walk, attack, attack any target, come, defend, devotion, down, fetch, guard, heel, stay, track, work Other Gear +1 chain shirt
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Special Abilities
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Air Walk [Trick] The animal can be ridden through the air when affected by spells.
Attack [Trick] The animal will attack on command.
Attack Any Target [Trick] The animal will attack any creature on command.
Come [Trick] The animal will come to you on command.
Defend [Trick] The animal will defend you.
Devotion +4 (Ex) +4 morale bonus on Will saves vs. enchantment effects.
Down [Trick] The animal will break off combat on command.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Fetch [Trick] The animal will get a specific object.
Flank [Trick}
Grab: Bite (Large) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon. Guard [Trick] The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching.
Heel [Trick] The animal will follow you.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Pounce (Ex) You can make a full attack as part of a charge.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by sense of smell.
Stay [Trick] The animal will stay where it is.
Track [Trick] The animal will track a scent.
Work [Trick] The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.
Niza puts two well placed stabs into the harpy. One through her chest and the other straight into her gasping mouth and out the back of her skull. She collapses, dead.
Liet-Gar moves over and slashes at the last remaining harpy, hitting her squarely. The cat then barely jumps up and snags a leg, dragging her down a bit and holding on tightly
She tries to frantically escape.
But does not. Shade rips her apart like the last harpy.
LGZ (-29 HP)
_______________________
Eight great pillars, larger versions of the serpentine columns found at the pillared portico, encircle an enormous mosaic on the floor. The tiles of fading greens, reds, and yellows form a seven-pointed star. The dome peaks about forty feet overhead, its center pierced by an oculus five feet across. Near the front of the temple are the remains of a marble statue, smashed to bits. What it once was is unclear, as the vandal did a rather thorough job destroying the ancient work of art.
Toward the back of the wide open space, a long, five-foot deep pool lies in this western alcove, empty now, though the irregular red-brown stains on its surfaces leave little doubt as to what once filled the basin. Standing at the center of the pool is an eighteen-foot-tall marble statue of a strange being. Its body is a tangle of tentacles and eyes surrounding a circular maw filled with jagged teeth and barbed stinging tongues. Each of the thing’s tentacles ends in a claw, pincer, hook, or some other implement of pain. Ancient paint flakes from the grand effigy, but glittering in the light are dozens of onyx gemstones adorning the statue where the being’s eyes are carved. It appears that something is strapped to one of the writhing appendages with red silk ribbons. On the floor of the pool itself are dozens of small stone figurines.
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Arboreal stows his wands and casts detect magic to see if the feathered fiends had any magical knick knacks worth He looks up at the yop of the pillars Anything up there Danny He asks his familiar who pays his question no heed whatsoever
He then looks to see if there are any signs of bodies dragged this way
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Feeling a bit itchy as the goddess' warmth washes over him, LGZ involuntarily frowns. "Stupid gods" he mutters to himself.
Looking around the room briefly, he makes his way to the door on the southwestern part of the room. Hesitating before yanking it open, he steps to the side and smiles at Niza. "Whenever we're ready, I'll let you do your thing."
The harpies have nothing of interest, probably. Basic leather armor and a basic morningstar. A few trinkets and baubles and a couple coins, but nothing is magical.
Arboreal doesn't have a clue what this statue is depicting.
Shade purrs at the attention and gives Stormy a big stinky harpy-breath lick to the face, her tongue is scratchy.
I AM a good boy, aren't I!
After being mostly healed, the half elf moves over to a closed off area. Liet-Gar's fingers scrabble against the solid brick wall covering the doorway to the room. He doesn't think it makes a very good door.
Arboreal does notice drag marks .
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Niza wipes off her rapier and resheathes it. Calling up to Albis she admonishes, "Really? One Harpy craws a damn song at you and you leave me? I see how it is." When the bird looks shamed she chuckles, "Just kidding bud, it could happen to anyone."
Activating her magical sight, she scans the room and statues and then joins the group at the blocked up door/wall, "Do we even need to get through there? Arby said the trail leads the other way."
Those using detect magic are blasted with an array of sights! EVERYWHERE THEY LOOK THEY SEE MAGICAL AURAS!!! Focusing for a bit, it starts to clear up that every single stone, column or statue has been magically infused. It takes a few moments, but those looking with magical sight recognize the aura to be 'abjuration'.
Abjurations are protective spells. They create physical or magical barriers, negate magical or physical abilities, harm trespassers, or even banish the subject of the spell to another plane of existence.
One oddity though, the small golden item hung from an outstretched tentacle actually emanates an 'evocation' aura.
Evocation spells manipulate magical energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, an evocation draws upon magic to create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal large amounts of damage.
But nothing appears to be a magical item .
___________
Niza finds no traps anywhere in the room, on the statue or on the doorways.
Looking through the NW doorway, this small, irregularly-shaped room contains little more than debris from the smashed barrier, ages-old dust, and a shaft descending into the darkness.
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That smells of trap to me lets leave that statue be and investigate what else came out of this complex and attacked the survey team. Halla do you want to wait here or head back to the camp? Will head outside to ask if she has not entered the domed area If she wishes to head back will add a note to Sheila Hindmarch dispatched 4 harpies but signs of other occupants inside who use weapons and teeth. Looking to make site secure
Halla adamantely refuses. She is still somewhat sobbing while holding her friend.
"I'm sorry, I can't go in there and face those things. I'm not a fighter and *sniff* I need to go start the preparations for all the burials."
A bit of iciness enters her tone, "Kill them good please. Anything in there that did this, just hack it to pieces. It deserves nothing more."
She doesn't seem hopeful that anyone else survived.
____________________
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Niza rolls her eyes at the group, "Look, I already checked it for traps. It's totally safe." She glances at Albis when the 'fly' option is floated, "Naw, I got this. No need to risk our birds."
She steadly clambers up the statue and pulls off the thingy, bringing it down to look at it.
Once back down, she inspects the item.
Niza easily clambers up and down the statue. She squints at the item, thinking that maybe it's a really fancy booger catcher? It definitely seems like a nose covering piece with straps and such to hold it around your head.
Kasvot leans in overtop her and excitedly recognizes it as a component of an actual acrimony veil, a magical device of unknown potency associated with Alaznist herself. What the veil did or can do has been lost to the annals of time.
Niza does notice there seem to be clasps on the sides of the nosepiece, perhaps indicating other pieces might make the item complete?
Niza and Liet-gar lead the group down the scary dark hole! Their light illuminates an apparently safe room below them. Slipping down the easily traversed rungs of the ladder they see...
The ceiling of this chamber is ten feet above, and its walls are covered with fading frescoes depicting a parade of cultists engaged in grisly acts of self-mutilation involving knives, scourges, and more bizarre implements. The depiction of the ground beneath the repugnant pageant seems to be composed of thick, snake-like tentacles whose appendages and tooth-filled orifices lick greedily at the blood cascading down from the cult figures. To the east, debris from a smashed wall is scattered, spilling into the hall.
The group moves into the hallway and to the north. It curls around into another long hall, heading back to the west. But the statues...
To the north, on a raised platform, stand leathery brown statues of withered and emaciated humans poised as though attentively observing passersby. The statues have a grim, realistic appearance, and each one is flayed and modified in a unique way.
The figures have their throats and wrists slit and most of their mouths are sewn shut. Some of them have their forearms separated between the ulna and radius, splitting even the fingers of the hands to create additional appendages. Others have portions of their skulls removed and replaced with a different, leathery material. Some have modifications to their torsos, in which the ribs have been split, pried out, and sharpened to points. One figure in the middle of this display sits with its arms raised, palms out. Its teeth have been pulled out, filed to points, and then embedded into its hands.
______________________
The larger room opening up ahead of the group to the west continues the horror.
The wall decorations of cultists engaged in horrific rituals continue into this large chamber. Ages-old blood stains the floor and walls in dusty flakes. A mosaic similar to the one in the temple above covers the floor, partially obscured by dozens of naked corpses scattered across the floor.
The group moves back past their entrance and takes the hallway to the south. It also turns back to the west.
The doors don't look trapped, but anything can happen down here, that's for sure!
Arboreal notices some footprints and a small drag mark leading to the secret door on the east wall. They stop there, though presumably continue on the other side.