Maruta's keen understanding of nature allows him to easily pierce the Perplexing magic, getting to the core of it.
Almost on cue, the potent magic of the dance transforms everything into a whirl of color, a cascade of garments and phosphorescent bursts of pollen, of masked revelers sweeping through the air on currents of flashing energy and laughter. The floor is far below, obscured by decadent dresses and swirling colors. The music changes, announcing the beginning of a new dance sequence.
COMPLEX ETIQUETTE
Overcome: Bhopan Lore or Society check.
Half of the Pathfinders slide to the left when they're supposed to hop to the right though Fran burns some of the social capital they earned during the pre-dance festivities to distract away from it.
INJURED DANCERS
Overcome Athletics or Medicine
A slight error in the ritual has dangerous consequences, as the movements of a group of dancers slip out of sync with the movement of the floor. Nearby dancers are too caught up in the dance’s magic to assist, so they attempt to move around the injured people, causing the floor to become chaotic and crowded. The magic filling the air causes each of the injured people to gain an animalistic feature, such as a snout or hooves.
PERPLEXING MAGIC
Overcome Arcana or Nature
The ritual blends elements of primal and arcane magic. Closely examining the ritual reveals ways to benefit from its magic to follow along with the dance without experiencing any compulsion to continue dancing until the ritual ends.
RELENTLESS BEAT
Overcome Acrobatics or Performance
When the music speeds up, only those who keep up with the flow of the dance can move with the crowds.
SPINNING FLOURISH
Overcome Bhopan Lore, Performance, or Society
Dancers are gathered in a line that snakes around the platforms. As they reach the center of the room, each performs a whirling spin.
WATCHFUL GUARDS
Overcome Deception or Stealth
A few guards have carefully avoided the dance floor so that they can keep a watchful eye over the festivities. Charting a course past them requires sneaking past their notice or creating a distraction.
Other than what seems to be a terrible faux pas that Cirri manages to avoid and a slight lack of rhythm by Selena, the Pathfinders do exceptionally well as they adapt to the new music.
The Watchful Guards seem to forget Maruta even exists and Fran hits the beat perfectly. Meanwhile, Desmond tends to the injured dancers while Ghardak uses his body to make room for the half-orc to work.
INJURED DANCERS (2 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Athletics or Medicine
A slight error in the ritual has dangerous consequences, as the movements of a group of dancers slip out of sync with the movement of the floor. Nearby dancers are too caught up in the dance’s magic to assist, so they attempt to move around the injured people, causing the floor to become chaotic and crowded. The magic filling the air causes each of the injured people to gain an animalistic feature, such as a snout or hooves.
PERPLEXING MAGIC
Overcome Arcana or Nature
The ritual blends elements of primal and arcane magic. Closely examining the ritual reveals ways to benefit from its magic to follow along with the dance without experiencing any compulsion to continue dancing until the ritual ends.
RELENTLESS BEAT (2 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Acrobatics or Performance
When the music speeds up, only those who keep up with the flow of the dance can move with the crowds.
SPINNING FLOURISH
Overcome Bhopan Lore, Performance, or Society
Dancers are gathered in a line that snakes around the platforms. As they reach the center of the room, each performs a whirling spin.
WATCHFUL GUARDS
Overcome Deception or Stealth
A few guards have carefully avoided the dance floor so that they can keep a watchful eye over the festivities. Charting a course past them requires sneaking past their notice or creating a distraction.
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"Achoo!" more snuffing ashy pixie dust spreads into the area where the guards are standing. Our tiny hero points at each of his dancing allies, then points in the direction of the vault, then smacks his own head in frustration, but projects the sound magically yonder.
◆) Faerie Dust
◆◆) Figment
Fran proves herself capable of keeping up with the Relentless Beat.
Maruta distracts the watchful guards.
Desmond proves that Pathfinder Medical Training is some of the best.
Cirri makes a dramatic spin.
Phase 2 Round 2
INJURED DANCERS Completed
Overcome Athletics or Medicine
A slight error in the ritual has dangerous consequences, as the movements of a group of dancers slip out of sync with the movement of the floor. Nearby dancers are too caught up in the dance’s magic to assist, so they attempt to move around the injured people, causing the floor to become chaotic and crowded. The magic filling the air causes each of the injured people to gain an animalistic feature, such as a snout or hooves.
PERPLEXING MAGIC
Overcome Arcana or Nature
The ritual blends elements of primal and arcane magic. Closely examining the ritual reveals ways to benefit from its magic to follow along with the dance without experiencing any compulsion to continue dancing until the ritual ends.
RELENTLESS BEAT Completed
Overcome Acrobatics or Performance
When the music speeds up, only those who keep up with the flow of the dance can move with the crowds.
SPINNING FLOURISH (1 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Bhopan Lore, Performance, or Society
Dancers are gathered in a line that snakes around the platforms. As they reach the center of the room, each performs a whirling spin.
WATCHFUL GUARDS (1 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Deception or Stealth
A few guards have carefully avoided the dance floor so that they can keep a watchful eye over the festivities. Charting a course past them requires sneaking past their notice or creating a distraction.
Everyone please make your round 2 check. Please keep an eye on the checks made before yours as two of the obstacles are only 1 success from being complted. Each one can have up to 3 Dance Points earned to complete it and once you've completed 3, the Phase ends.
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WATCHFUL GUARDS (1 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Deception or Stealth
A few guards have carefully avoided the dance floor so that they can keep a watchful eye over the festivities. Charting a course past them requires sneaking past their notice or creating a distraction.
Maruta causes a distraction and sneaks past the guards...
...so small a threat goes easily unnoticed when one is bewithed by faerie dust!
WATCHFUL GUARDS (1 of 3 Dance Points)
Overcome Deception or Stealth
A few guards have carefully avoided the dance floor so that they can keep a watchful eye over the festivities. Charting a course past them requires sneaking past their notice or creating a distraction.Maruta causes a distraction and sneaks past the guards...
...so small a threat goes easily unnoticed when one is bewithed by faerie dust!
As the Pathfinders manage to help the Dance become a true, entrancing spectacle and distract the guards, they catch a glimpse of Lelzeshin gesturing surreptitiously from a largely hidden alcove. Joining him, they find a pleased, even excited expression on his aardvark like face.
"Excellent job! Excellent job!" he declares. "I gathered these to help you inside the vault."
He hands over an embroidered valise with six moderate juggernaut and six moderate quicksilver mutagens and 3 sneaky keys.
"The vault's right down this path," he continues, revealing a secret door.
It is clear that no one expected anyone to find this passageway, or perhaps they were simply depending on the curse to dissuade anyone as there are no traps or locked doors along the way.
Lelzeshin leads the way until the organic structure of the Eternal Bloom descends into a constructed stone chamber, lit diffusely from magical light set in the ceiling fifteen feet above. The chamber has four massive alcoves, as well as a ceremonial staircase in the east that ends in an imposing black metal door.
Each of the alcoves sports a different mosaic on its floor that depicts a scene that is iconic of one of the four seasons. The mosaics wrap around L-shaped walls. In the inner corner of each L-shaped wall, there is a keyhole.
Northeast: This orange and red mosaic depicts a bat-faced Bhopanese woman, bent and grizzled with age. She is surrounded by colorful leaves.
Northwest: This mosaic is blue with traces of red. It depicts a blue-tinted wasteland with a stain of red, from which a thorny growth rises.
Southeast: This white, gold, and yellow mosaic depicts massive plant ships sailing a sea of light.
Southwest: This mosaic depicts a young girl running from trees in the distance. While it features many colors, the predominant color in the mosaic is green.
You are pulled into a landscape that is emblematic of a season: fields of flowers for the southwest, a hot day at a pristine beach for the southeast, a forest whose trees show off the full colors of autumn for the northeast, or a frigid field of snow for northwest. After what feels like a long time (but is in fact only 1 round), you emerge from the interior corner of the alcove you just left with a key in hand, facing toward the keyhole in the inner corner of the L-shaped wall.
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Cirri is having so much fun at the dance she almost forgets her mission. "Oh! My legs are tired. I need to take a break." She waves goodbye and sits down somewhere quiet. Then she notices her teammates.
"Thank you Lelzeshin!" Cirri hustles over. "And now we get to solve a mystery." She channels elements as bubbles of water form around her, carried by a soft breeze.
She peers at the northeast wall. "Wow..." Cirri stares at the tree, full of leaves and life. She doesn't get opportunities like this to look at such foliage. She finally reaches for her journal but by the time she looks away and looks back all she sees is a key. "Uh... I think I should use the key here?" She inserts it into the keyhole.
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Selena approaches the foggy northwest wall, letting the glow she carries illuminate it more clearly. As she draws near, the stone fades away and she finds herself standing in a blue-tinted wasteland, streaked with veins of red from which thorny growths sprout their way upward.
The scene feels real. Too real. She reaches out, half-compelled, half-skeptical, and moves to prick her finger on one of the thorns, but before it can touch her, the world lurches back, and she is whisked away in an instant, returned to her allies’ side, a small key now resting in her hand.
"Oh." That is all she manages to say as she stares at it. She then inserts that key into the hole it is pointing at.
Cirri and Selena each turn their keys and they disappear but nothing else seems to happen. At least, not directly because of that. You can feel energy building throughout the chamber, however.
[spoiler=What Maruta Knows]Each Alcove has a magical sensor and is building up energy. He thinks he can trick a sensor with a Thievery or Nature check and that proper use of the keys and keyholes will temporarily deactivate the alcoves.
The fury of the seasons overtakes the Pathfinders.
Maruta and Ghardak in the Southwest, Spring Alcove face the decay of late autumn as it takes hold of them.
Desmond in the Southeast, Summer Alcove suffers winter’s bitter chill as it descends on him.
Fran and Cirri in the Northeast, Autumn Alcove are sprayed by poisonous springtime pollen.
Selena in the Northwest, Winter Alcove experiences heat greater than the hottest summer afternoon.
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"achoo!" Cirri sneezes as she's blasted with poisonous pollen.
"Oh, that's not good. This must be the reason no one's able to get into the vault."
"Hmm. All we have are these keys, so I guess we can try them in different locks?"
Cirri ◆◆calls upon the >Four Winds< to push herself and Fran across. Then she ◆Strides towards the nearest gate, the Southeast.
Cirri is at the Northeast, Autumn Alcove and turns toward the Southeast, Summer Alcove but remembers that the Spring Alcove is in the Southwest.
Both Maruta and Selena realize that a trap has been set off and that it can be stopped with Nature knowledge, cunning Thievery, or proper uses of the keys.
Ghardak recognizes the betrayal of the trap.
Desmond makes a guess as to the solution to the trap.
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◆) Recall Knowledge
◆◆) Fleet Step (to use with Evanescent Wings)
Recognizing the primal magicks used to sustain the wards, Maruta's ashen wings glitter with soft green light, preparing to fly around to all four portals aligned with the seasons.
He flies to area where the magic can be "touched" and...
Neither Cirri nor Maruta are able to trick the trap.