Ruins of Azlant Gameplay

Link to previous thread: https://critical-scumble.forumotion.com/t17p975-ruins-of-azlant-gameplay-i

Kaimana frowns, but goes to work hauling stuff out. After coming back out and seeing Jax still disturbed, he sighs. "Jax, it wasn't you attacking," Kaimana points out. "You said something in a language I'm pretty sure you don't speak, too. No reason to be upset with yourself for it. Help me move out this stuff, okay? There's plenty in here." He goes back into the room, hoping Jax comes along too.

"I...sure." Jax mumbles, moving to follow Kaimana.

After a little while, Jax seems to be less visibly shaken, though still troubled. Well, everyone's got something to worry about, Kaimana mentally notes, deciding not to push further.

Once the room is cleared and it's decided to rest for the night before starting out again, Kaimana sees Amissa heading off to a different area of the temple. "Oh, hey, Amissa," Kaimana calls, following her. "I'm curious about what you mentioned about Abadar earlier, do you mind if I ask some questions about that?" Then realizing which section of the temple they were headed to, he adds, "Or would that be too distracting while looking at the clockwork stuff?"

"No, go ahead," Amissa says. "You might need to prod me a couple times if I get too focused on the constructs, but I'd be happy to go over anything you want to know."

Kaimana nods. "So, when the Azlanti worshipped Abadar, the focus wasn't so much about the law as it is now? More about the gold and the cities?"

"Yes, that's correct." Amissa nods. "The Azlanti in general had a high veneration for law, so Abadar didn't take on that role specifically. I'm not sure if another deity took that as their domain or not, but given the general stance of the Azlanti, I'm not sure it was required; generally speaking, they probably had a similar stance towards law as modern Abadarites do anyway."

”Oh, so Kurvis probably just would’ve enjoyed Azlanti society at large, then,” Kaimana notes. ”The law’s the part that seems to appeal to him the most.”

Amissa nods again. "He probably would, yeah." She focuses her attention on a clockwork construct, which holds a wand, poking at it as she looks it over.

Kaimana nods, thinking. ”Thanks. I just want to be able to mention that when we find him, I think he’d find it interesting.” Amissa’s response is fairly quiet, so Kaimana moves to leave. ”I’m gonna swim in the statue room, but feel free to get me if something needs lifting.”

By the time Jax is done setting up his part of the camp, Kaimana and Amissa have already left to somewhere else. He pauses for a moment, then turns to Aisha. "Is there some way to train yourself to be more resistant to mental attacks? Or some magic, an item, something?"

"I know a spell that can stop you from being compelled, or help you suppress an effect on you, but it only lasts a few minutes," Aisha explains. "As we grow more powerful, it's possible Arshea may bless me with magic that can help that more. As for items and training, a headband like mine," she gestures at the band around her head, "But designed to strengthen your mental fortitude and perceptive abilities could help. I can't help with training," she confesses, "All of my powers have been given to me, the only real practiced skills I have are my dancing and body art."

Jax grunts. "I...see. I'm just worried. When we fought Eliza, and this time with the haunt, I keep falling to mental attacks. And we know whatever is orchestrating this is able to manipulate minds. I'm just worried, is the main thing; I don't want to fail you guys at a critical moment again."

"None of us think you failed us, Jax," Aisha assures him gently, "Everyone has had moments when they couldn't help. But if you want, tomorrow I can give you the spell to protect your mind as we explore, it protects your body as well, but not quite as much as the spell I usually use."

"I would like that. Thanks. For everything, Jax nods.

Aisha just nods and smiles. "No problem."

The night passes without incident. As the party prepares to continue through the temple, spells are cast to enhance their abilities.

As the party approaches a flooded stairway, Jax motions for them to stop, and points to a group of five Faceless trying to hide beneath the water. The party decides to fight them on dry ground and baits them into range, where Kaimana and Jax quickly fell them all before moving on.

A row of caryatid columns divides this long, flooded corridor. The sculpted figures are covered in spiny yellow coral and tentacled pink polyps, partially hiding their facial features and intricately detailed hairstyles, and gives them an eerily inhuman quality. Amissa knows that the coral growing over the statues is venomous, and that it reacts to changes in water pressure and extends its poisonous spines when a creature is nearby. Jax spots a hidden doorway to the side of the hallway; four Skum are hiding inside, and quickly dispatched by the party.

Moving further down a corridor with wide doors, the group moves into a domed chamber with several exits, including a courtyard to the south and a deep chamber to the north, with several of the spear-weilding skum and one with a metal-paged spellbook. As the others engage the spear-users, Aisha fixes her gaze on the spellcaster and points at his eyes, causing them to flash violet then go milky. The caster flees into the next room and the other three mop up the remainder of the skum in that room as Aisha pursues, soon finding a round chamber that has rectangular alcoves at
even intervals, forming a shape reminiscent of a gear. At the center of the chamber stands a grandiose, four-foot high
altar shaped like an eye with two cogwheel halves forming the eyelids. Two ten-foot-tall metal rods, each tipped with a silver-hued torus, stand on round platforms on either side, lightning crackling between them. Among more spear-wielding and a pair of crossbow users at the back swims a massive skum with a huge crossbow in his arms. Like she did with the caster, Aisha tears the vision from this one's eyes as well, leaving him very vulnerable to blow after blow from Kaimana as Jax and Amissa deal with the smaller ones and the mage.

While examining the rooms, Amissa finds that the round table between the gear-like altar halves has a hidden node in which an ioun stone can be slotted but if the magitech rods are active, a fault in the system causes arcs of electricity running between the rods to highlight the location of the node and the hidden ioun circuitry built into the table. She experimentally slots in her clear spindle ioun stone in between activations of the magitech rods. A moment after Amissa does so, a square section of the floor in one of the alcoves slides open, revealing a staircase that leads down. It takes virtually no time for the group to decide to investigate this, Jax and Aisha each taking a quick gulp of air first.

In the next room, two shimmering fields of force each seal a different airtight chamber, keeping the water outside. On the wall next to the force fields are two levers. As they notice the party arrive, three humans kept in the cells begin banging on the force walls and shouting, though it is hard to hear them with the force wall. Before anyone can move to investigate, eight humanoid-shaped monsters with large teeth and twisted features move to attack the party. Amissa realizes with horror that these creatures are, in fact, human in origin and may be some of the missing colonists. On being made aware, Kaimana and Jax make sure to adjust their attacks to avoid lethal harm. The party quickly knocks out all eight, though Kaimana's sure he hears some bones cracking on some of his attacks with the flat of his blade.

Once the fight is over, Kaimana looks towards the force walls again. It's impossible to hear what they're saying with the wall in place, and lip reading would take too long. He walks up and points to one of the levers with a questioning tilt of his head.

One of the prisoners gives a urgent, pleading nod.

Somehow feeling uneasy about this, Kaimana pulls the lever.

When the prisoner's fists now strike the forcefield, they sink through. They move back a little bit, and motion for the group to enter.

With the forcefield seemingly safe to move through, Jax swims up and tries to move through into the cell.

"Thank the gods! You're here to save us, right? We've been prisoners for months, one says with much relief.

Jax turns and motions to Aisha to come in. "Yea, we're with the colony. Are you from the first group?"

She nods. "Are you really with the colony?" she asks nervously. "There's been more and more captives arriving, I thought what happened to us must have happened again."