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"I'm going to try to let them know we don't mean them any harm."
Franz puts her face close to the blocked door and speaks calmly through the cracks between the stones, using her diplomatic skills and a friendly tone.
"We are not here to harm you. Please. Let us in. We are friends with Sewer Dragon tribe. We don't like monster dogs, either. We help you if you help us."
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Okay. This is going terribly. Think like a kobold. Ummm... Easing forward, Nal asks them: "What do monster dogs even sound like? I've never encountered a monster dog that talked. Every one I've met has been obstreperous and averse to conversation." Maybe fancy words will convince them we're not animals?
There is a scramble atop the mound of debris and a small kobold face appears at the top, clearing balancing on something or someone else. "Oh, you is not monster dog! Why you not say so?"
The face suddenly drops out of view with a crash and a mumbled curse word. The voice calls back out. "Stand back while we am disarming the big trap! Then you am helping us clear the door, yes-yes?"
A few moments and several strange noises later, the door is cleared to reveal four kobolds- a green female who introduces herself as Itzi, and three red males who look around you nervously as if scared of the monster dog returning. In the room there are three large pools, each 10' in diameter and filled with different colored fluids. One is red, one green and one blue.
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As Nal is introduced, she takes a knee to look Itzi and the others in the eye and gives them a solemn nod of respect. "That was an impressive barricade. No wonder the monster dog left. We'd be happy to take care of it for you if we encounter it. So, can you tell us what these pools are for?" She stands and approaches the closest pool, trying to make out its purpose.
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Scratch raises a bushy eyebrow at the slew of kobolds Dwarves back in my day didn't usually get along so good with these little ore thieves.. but I guess I'll make the exception.
"Howdy." He responds before following Nal and Prof to the pools "Kinda look like tanning pits, but three different colors?" He has a brief flashback to his days spent lost in his own mind thanks to poorly identified mushrooms.
"Hrmph."
Whitegourd has no luck, but Nal, Scratch and Elsha realize the function of these pools. This ancient device is a temporal scrying mechanism that siphons energy from the Dimension of Time and harnesses it to view the
past, present, and future. The degradation of time has diminished their powers; they function erratically and what times they view can’t be controlled or manipulated.
Currently, the blue pool reflects a large crowd gathering outside a stone structure on an island in the middle of a lake. Amid the crowd are humans, Small draconic people with red scales, ratfolk, and Large humanoids with four arms and prominent tusks.
The green pool reflects a Large draconic figure dressed in warm clothes. Anyone who saw the temporal vision in the Ovoid Vault recognizes this pod as the same one from the vision.
The red pool reflects a tall, slender man with an elongated head, four arms, and gray skin traversing an icy tunnel. A prominent badge decorates his armor—a starburst similar to a compass rose.
Itzi shrugs. "Maybe you am already scaring it off. It chased us in here, but if it's gone, it's gone. We are living in the Maze of the Open Road. We are Thornscales! We am going back. If you am here, the way is safe, yes yes?"
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Y-y-yes. The way is safe. Take your things and leave if you are able to. he responds without looking back at the kobolds.
He continues focusing on the device, looking back and forth between the pools and starting to get it.
Th-this device is degraded but the pools are still showing scenes from different times. They are the past, present, and future though it is not clear which is wh-which.
He points at the green pool. Look Franzine, there is the pod we saw out of t-t-time in our visions in the Ovoid Vault.
He is very unsure about the context of each of these images, which are past and which are future.
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Franzine moves to get next to Elsha and peers into the pool.
"Oooh. Yesss. There it is. What does it mean? I mean, what is it? Why are these pools showing us these things?"
She moves to peer into the red pool. The sight of the alien creature startles her.
"Eek! And what is that?"
She points at the strange creature. She then notices the compass rose symbol on the alien's armor.
"Is that a Wayfinder on their armor? Or, the symbol of The Open Road that Pathfinders wear?"
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Scratch nods as the Thornscales take their leave.
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Scratch looks between the devices trying to get an idea of just who, or at least what he's looking at. 4 arms? Don't see that everyday.
"Nal, a note taker, good work kid. See if you can't get a good sketch of that symbol there on the 4 armed thing... they're tall. Maybe what those tall hooks were for back in the wash room?"
Whitegourd is convinced that these creatures were Fey from the Shadow Planes, here to steal the light and plunge the world into 1000 years of darkness!
SLIDE 10!
The walls of this grand entry chamber are carved with faded images, from tentacled monsters and ritual ceremonies to flying wagons and other strange machines. A mound of tattered paper, fabric, and other refuse sits in the center of the room—clearly an animal’s nest. Beyond the chamber is a grand library filled with books and beautiful statuary.
A sharp musk of animal smell hits your nose, followed by a growl that is joined by another! Two angry wolverines are stamping their front paws and look vicious and protective.
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Whitegourd is convinced that these creatures were Fey from the Shadow Planes, here to steal the light and plunge the world into 1000 years of darkness!
"Really?" Nal dredges her mind for information about the four-armed creature as she finishes sketching it and its compass rose symbol.
As soon as Nal spots the wolverines, she slips to the front of the group and begins making soothing noises and tries to communicate through body language that the Pathfinders aren't a threat. "Easy now. There, there. We'll leave you alone if you return the favor." It's a long shot, but it's worth a try.
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Franzine takes a defensive stance as the creatures growl at the group. She relaxes a bit when she gets a good look at the furry beasts.
"Aww. How adorable! They look like little skunk-bears."
She swoons at their cuteness.
"Maybe they're just hungry, Nal. Do you have any food to give them?”
Franzine looks over her shoulder to her dwarf companion.
"Mister Steeltoe..."
"Hey. Where'd he go?"
She glances about, looking for the dwarf.
"Scratch? Do you have any pork sausage or beef jerky in that overstuffed backpack of yours?"
The badgers do not seem to respond well to the Leshy's overtures.
Despite their best attempts, Whitegourd has no luck with the badgers!
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Hrm, toss some precious jerky to these stink dogs or start blastin' from up here.. tough choice..
Scratch sneaks back down and dumps out a day's worth of home smoked rations for the group to do what they please with. "If you can't get 'em clear then well, you'll know what I'll do by the smell of the gunpowder."
He tosses the grub at the pair before slinkin' away up the stairs once more.
Using his homemade rations, Scratch is able to lure the badgers out of the library and into the Maze of the Open Road where they scamper off to parts unknown!
Now that the badgers are gone, you can examine the carvings and books!
Carvings: The carvings fall into two categories: centerpiece carvings depicting the Eternity Arch and surrounding depictions of different moments in time.
The rest of the wall carvings depict a variety of moments in time. Moments depicted that are relevant to this adventure include a dragon rising from a coffin; a group of people wearing strange attire and carrying futuristic firearms, led by a slender four-armed man with an elongated cranium; an underground hedge maze connecting to the ruins; a group of people who look remarkably like YOU fighting off strange doglike monsters: and a crowd of people bowing before the Eternity Arch. The people depicted bowing include humans, small lizard people, ratfolk and large four armed folk with tusks!
Literature: Much of the literature in this library has been damaged by time, cold temperatures, and animals.
Regarding the Arch, Whitegourd notices subtle differences in the carved figures before and after they pass through the gateway, indicating that the journey changes the traveler, or the traveler’s spirit or mind travels through the gate while the body is left behind. Nearby imagery depicts sleeping or perhaps dead bodies being placed into a deep trench. The lowest levels of bodies in these pits are skeletons.
With regards to the literature, Whitegourd learns the remnants of the information in the library mostly detail rituals and artifacts dealing with time manipulation.
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With the lower levels of the ruins secure, Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau calls the Pathfinders together once again. “Excellent work, Pathfinders! The area’s secure and the path to the upper levels is now clear. What’s more, we have news.” she says, gesturing at the glowing arch. “We’ve discovered that this potent artifact is called the Eternity Arch. It’s resonating with some sort of magical focus nearby, and this resonance is what’s causing the Maze of the Open Road to malfunction. Using this connection, we determined that the focus is somewhere above us, higher in the ruins. We must find the focus and sever its connection to the arch.”
“It’s cold in the upper levels. We’re distributing warm clothing now. Remember, we don’t know what the focus is, so leave no stone unturned. Be safe and stay in touch. Let’s move, Pathfinders!”
Frost-tinged stone gives way to slick ice tunnels and snow-filled passages as the Pathfinders forge forward. Nearby, Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau holds up a hand for silence. A few moments later she whispers, “I heard something. Footsteps and muffled voices. Be careful.”
SLIDE 15!
From further to the Southwest, you can hear high pitched voices but cannot make out the language nor the words.
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Signalling to the group to hang back a bit, Nal slowly glides forward, trying to split her attention between being stealthy, identifying the speakers, and and spotting traps. In all honesty, though, it's hard to split her attention. Her years of training kick in, automatically focusing mostly on remaining stealthy as she scouts ahead.