"I hear you." Grobradon will head onward when Rythanus says 'let's go' even if it means taking point.
A large doorway passes from the room of murals into the city proper. A lightly glowing green fluorescence emanates from the cavern roof above, illuminating a once-great city now reduced to ash and rubble — but whose ruins are coated entirely in gold.
A large, covered bridge across a canal that glows white-hot emits a searing, golden light. In the center of the bridge stands a man-shaped statue covered in fine gold plating, its carved face eerily human-like.
Although the statue is covered in gold, the inside of the covered bridge is dusty, dirty, and gold-free, with the exception of two piles of melted gold and other metals.
"Be careful friends" - Heledar urges, relying on his divine powers to allow him to detect auras of magic.
You suspect the statue is a construct
Rain stops short as the gold figure comes into view. "You know, I thought that might have been some poor sap who got caught the last time this place flooded, but the rest of this bridge is bare of the stuff. So either that's a really expensive statue someone put in the middle of a bridge for some reason, or it's something else." Her voice has a cautionary tone as her glance bounces from the golden figure to her companions.
"There is something... Off about that statue over there" - Heledar comments - "I believe it to be some sort of animated construct. Not sure if it will be hostile or not" - he warns his companions.
"If it is friendly, that would be a first. I wonder how the bridge avoided the gold flooding the city?"
"So, it could be some kind of magic watch dog? Let's hope we don't get bit."
"I guess we need to find out" - Heledar adds, starting to move tentatively towards the bridge, until he puts one foot on it, stopping right there.
The statue is some seven feet tall and moves with the sound of metal on metal. You know how it sounds when it moves as it starts to move the moment Heledar steps foot on the bridge.
Rythanus recognises it as some variation of a guardian construct. It will no doubt fight to the death and probably has some magical properties.
Heledar takes a step back out of the bridge, his weapon protectively in front of him, and focuses on his divine powers to bolster the group.
"There is our answer... How did the cultists bypass him?" - he ponders to his friends - "And how does one cut a creature made of metal?"
Rythan watched to see if the constuct stopped when Heledar stepped off the bridge, but he did it with his weapon drawn. "Maybe there's another way around that they found. Or maybe there's some clue to shutting it off around here."
to statue-shaped conglomerations of gold coins to exquisitely detailed gilded statues with eerily accurate human faces.
Golden guardians are typically powered by a fiery, molten core of pure gold, which radiates a shimmering heat. Golden guardians cannot speak, and cannot be reasoned with.
"Folks, if we're going to run rather than fight, I kind of need to know. Hate to be attacking this thing all alone. Course, if we run from everything, we won't get far."
Rain points to the roof of the covered bridge, "Up and over, perhaps?"
"Worth a try." Rythan sheathed his sword and tried to find some handholds to climb onto the bridge roof with.
"I'd rather avoid getting tossed off this bridge. Up and over." Rumha clambers up to the roof.
The moment you step back from the bridge, the construct appears to power down and returns to statue form.
Rain tries to scramble up onto the roof of the covered bridge, but her foot slips on a slick veneer of gold and she stumbles a few steps back from the structure.
Muttering a colorful halfing phrase under her breath, she tries again, this time able to push off a vertical column and grab the edge of the roof.
"Well. That was fun. So, does anyone think that thing can jump and that it's only going to explode through the roof beneath our feet as we shuffle along?"
"I was trying not to think about that, actually. Maybe we should just take it at a run."
"I wonder if there's a way to trick it into falling or something..." He considers, "Climbing won't be easy for me in my armor and gear."
Heledar ponders the climb as he looks at Talarin, then nods at Grob - "Yep, I will be hard pressed also to make this climb. I do have a climbing kit, but... for such a short climb, I don't know how useful it will be..."
And manages to get up there quite easily, lowering a rope for Grobradon to grab hold to - "We'll pull you up" - he nods.
"See? I knew you boys could do it."
The statue remains motionless as you go up and over the bridge.
As you look back, you notice once more the piles of melted gold next to the guardian and wonder if these were once statues and defeated by the cultists?
As you move forward you notice an intersection. It is bordered by a channel carved into the street and untouched by gold, enclosing a 50-foot-square area.
Even from this distance you can see runes carved throughout the channel.
Grobradon is hauled up and over, "Maybe I need to have smaller lunches."
After re-coiling his rope, Rythan hopped down on the far side of the bridge, giving the guardian a last curious look.
When he saw the channel, his curiosity was rekindled. He moved closer to examine the runes.
As Rythanus moves close enought to read the runes, there is a crackling noise in the air - like the sound of burning kindling.
At once, a creature appears from thin air. It looks like a living, mobile bonfire, tongues of flame reaching out in search of things to burn.
Too late, Rythanus translates the runes - clearly that old Golarian joke was known many years ago. "If you can read this, you've already triggered the trap that summons the fire elemental."
Rain looks at the crackling ball of animate fire and her face scrunches up in frustration. "How in all the vervloekte afgronden am I supposed to hurt that?" With a shrug, she slips the small crossbow free from her hip and snaps off a shot.
HP: 28/28
AC: 17 (13 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16 (18 vs disarm)
F/R/W: +2/+6/+4
Second Chance: [ ]
Shadowstrikes used: 0/7
Shield charges used: 2/42
Spell Slots:
Cantrips (--) - arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation
Level 1 (4+1) - [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ]
Ongoing Effects
bless
She may be surprised but the bolt hit home and clearly did some damage to the creature.
For its part, it only had eyes for Rythanus - and it slams into him, the force of the impact clearly hurting, plus the fire itself most have done some damage.
"Looks like we can whittle it down," Grobradon observes as he hear's Rain's comment and sees the effect of her shot.
"If you need to, get behind me," And he steps up to engage with it, already sweating from the heat This will be like fighting a bonfire! He tries a tactic popular with big men everywhere. He swings HARD!
Rythan yelled as he was badly scorched by the creature. He ducked behind Grob as he drew his sword, hissing as his blistered hand gripped the hilt.
Heldar shares Rythanus' wounds, as his skin blisters.
Moving forward, Heledar takes advantage of his weapons' reach, and tries to strike at the creature.
Rumha lays a hand on Grob, imparting luck on his next strike.
Grob swings powerfully but misses. Heledar, however, has far more success in attacking the creature as he is able to inflict a substantial wound.
Both Heledar and Rythanus come to the same conclusion - fire creatures are most likely to be affected by cold.
Rythan intoned the words to a spell, then stepped forward with his blue-flickering scimitar steaming in the hot air.
Rain shrugs and after giving her crossbow an accusing look she lets it clatter to the street. "Well this is fun." She uncoils her whip and tries to distract the elemental long enough for Grob to swing in.
HP: 28/28
AC: 17 (13 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16 (18 vs disarm)
F/R/W: +2/+6/+4
Second Chance: [ ]
Shadowstrikes used: 0/7
Shield charges used: 2/42
Spell Slots:
Cantrips (--) - arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation
Level 1 (4+1) - [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ]
Ongoing Effects
bless
Grobradon feels the odd guidance of Rumha, mutters thanks, and tries again.
Talarin discards her crossbow for the moment and wields her whip in an impressive way.
Slightly distracted, the fire elemental targets Rythanus again - and once more it slams into him.
Rythanus gives as good as he gets as his scimitar does some damage to the creature.
Grob is now on fire (metaphorically speaking only) and he manages to smash the creature with a massive blow. One good hit might finish it off now.
Again Heldar's link with his companion allows him to heal his wounds.
He then continues his assault on the fire creature, trying to bring it down - "Stand fast friends, we will not be stopped here" - he urges his companions.
"Once more? Sure, why not?!" Rain lashes out with her whip a second time trying to afford Grob another opening to exploit.
HP: 28/28
AC: 17 (13 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16 (18 vs disarm)
F/R/W: +2/+6/+4
Second Chance: [ ]
Shadowstrikes used: 0/7
Shield charges used: 2/42
Spell Slots:
Cantrips (--) - arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation
Level 1 (4+1) - [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ], [ ]
Ongoing Effects
bless