Pahhu: Shifting Sands of Time 9: Reflections

Additional details: The High Priest’s journal recovered was penned by a Brin Silisk, High Priest of Amaunator.
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The party walks out of the temple, once again seeing the enormous statue and the flowing water. They decide to investigate where the water might be going; Barnaby uses his stone senses to identify a cavern below and moves to check it. Theodore approaches the water itself, and as he approaches he realizes that it isn’t actually flowing into a hole, but instead looping endlessly. As he moves in to try to figure out why a face forms in the water, and it recoils away from him. The water is some manner of elemental.
 
Nyx and Theodore converse with the elemental, trying to learn more of the place. They learn that the forge they’ve passed is inhabited by fire elementals, bound to endlessly forge in the place. They ask more of the elemental, trying to understand what has transpired here, but find that the elemental’s since of time is poor having spent millenia whirling around the massive statue. The only detail of note the elemental can recall is that a single invader had made it past the statue, a floating violet ball with a giant eye and many small eyes on stalks. The statue had no reacted at all to this, which had surprised the elemental. It was the only invader to ever make it by, until the party arrived.
 
To the best of the elemental’s knowledge the beholder passed through nearly 30 years prior and exited the temple with the mirror. This revelation which leaves the group at a loss. If true then the mirror is long gone; but the elemental seems to have a distorted experience of time and place, so the group hopes to carry on. They offer to free the elemental, but he expresses ambivalence. It seems he is accustomed to being with the statue now, who he calls Atlas. They decide the first place to head is the forge, perhaps the fire elementals may know more, or be able to be convinced to help them if freed.
 
The forge is a deep stone foundry, blazing with pulsing heat as fire elemental myrmidons and elementals move about, hammering and smelting. Molten hot rock and metal flow freely here, and the scent of smoke and heat surround the party. It bears a striking resemblance to the pictures shown in the prayer book.
 
Nyx approaches speaks to the myrmidons, and the elementals quickly agree to repair Turbo, the construct from the temple. It seems as if they are prepared to handle this maintenance with readiness. They try to learn more about the situation but the elementals have no time for small talk. They do however strike a bargain, learning of a difficulty the elementals face. Long ago they had forged something meant as a gift for the denizens of the Brass City in the Elemental Plane of Fire. Bound as they are, and with the Netherese wizards long gone, they have been derelict in delivering for nearly 1,700 years. If they can deliver this object to the Brass City, the elementals are willing to forge a powerful weapon of any make for the group.
 
Considering the offer, and hoping to make friends the group agrees to attempt this as they finish repairing Turbo. The forged gift is large, and takes 3 elementals to carry. Pahhu steps up to them and exerts her magic to the utmost, attempting to Banish the elementals to their Plane. Pahhu’s magic slips away from her, and the elementals arrive off target. When she releases the spell the elementals are outraged as they return and explain what had happened: they had arrived in the Sea of Fire, the gift had been destroyed. They demand the party leave at once. As they go to exit the forge they hit an invisible wall. The Thayans had surrounded the forge.
 
One of the Thayans laughed in earnest, saying he had spotted the weapon. Pahhu slunk around a corner, trying to hide herself, thinking once again she was identified as a ‘Time Ripper’ but no, this time they were speaking of Marinette, who they called ‘The Firetouched.’ They demanded to know why she was here, and if she knew anything of relics or treasures. Marinette bluntly called his bluff, demanding to know if the Thayans sought the mirror. The Wizard laughed at the lack of subtlety, but assured of his safety and supremacy, confirmed he was, and on orders from the Zhulkir of Divination at that. The Thayan demanded Marinette surrender for questioning, but she refused.
 
With the Thayans in front and enraged Elementals behind, the party found themselves unable to accomodate either request. The elementals, believing the party held their threat in contempt chose to attack. The Thayans, demanding surrender and an explanation chose to take advantage of their erstwhile allies and drop their wall of force, also attacking. Surrounded on both sides Pahhu tried to begin chalking a teleportation circle, but the fight broke out in earnest before she could even finish the first rune.
 
In the back of the foundry a fire elemental charged forward, burning Jorah, Nyx and Tona and setting them alight. Jorah responded by summoning a massive Maelstrom of swirling water in the middle of the forge. Instantly the forge was blasted by super-hot steam, and five of the fire elementals were quenched instantly, leaving but a pair. These rushed forward but a Watery Sphere from Theodore crashed into them, splashing them into nothing but gouts of steam. In mere seconds the elementals had been utterly devastated.
 
In the front the Thayans were shocked at what they saw, having lowered their wall and begun their charge thinking they had an advantage they soon clashed into Ed and Marinette on the front lines. Spells fly, and Pahhu attempts to lay down a Silence, but is quickly countered. Nyx and Tona cover the ground toward the front of the foundry, laying down cover shots for Ed and Marinette. Turbo charges the Thayans, but is quickly banished from the plane by a Wizard.
 
Jorah and a Thayan Wizard call down Ice storms on the opposite parties, but Jorah’s ice storm is empowered by the spectre of death and twilight, and scythes through the Thayans, leaving them all heavily damaged. Theodore flings a half dozen of them into the cave ceiling by Reversing Gravity, and Pahhu charges to the front, unleashing flaming sweeps of her minute-hand rapier, singing two Thayan champions.
 
Marinette and Ed grapple and fight with the Thayan front line, bordering on the edge of the gravity well they try to fling each other inside, straining for control. Marinette grabs one away from the edge and slams him down, starting to pummel him and choke him. Ed is pulled into the field by one, but Theodore responds by unleashing the gravity well and those on the ceiling come tumbling down, and Ed falls from about half the distance. A single living wizard tries to flee, but Barnaby manages to strike him with a rock, ending his life. Turbo strides through the wounded Thayans proned from their drop and cleaves through them with his massive blade still hot from the forge. The battle had become a route in mere seconds.
 
Marinette slams the remaining Thayan down, and begins to demand he answer her questions, a reversal of but moments ago. She demands to know who the other group is? The Zhentarim? The Gith? It is neither, but the party does not understand the name given. Frustrated with his lack of response Marinette chokes out the man, practically separating his head from his body. The group checks the fallen quickly for any information, and find a few objects of interest, including taking two of the Thayan’s robes. They push the bodies into the forge, regretfully burning them to hide any evidence and prepare to move out.
 
Nyx, who had been on lookout, had spotted a party moving from the intruding side’s army towards the forge, likely to investigate the noise and magical combat that had broken out. They decide to quickly begin moving west, taking advantage of the continued confusion. They pass through a collapsed ancient bazaar, ducking through alleyways and disturbing dust that may have gone untouched since the crash, the only sound they could hear being the occasional scuffle of feet or a pounding heart.
 
Soon they wrap around some buildings in the cavern, spying on the two camps as they face off in the darkness, their fighting having stopped for now. For the first time they can see the other group; it is not Gith or Zhent, it is some faction in greys and black, carrying banners of a bony hand grasping an orb. Their styles are reminiscent of Yagya Karn, the Netherese warlord they had fought in the Sanctuary. Are they part of the Netherese restorationists? They can only wonder.
 
The two sides face off across what may have once been a town square, separate from smaller groups parlaying in front of what seem to a half-crushed basilica or library. Realizing that they had little chance of taking the army head on they considered retreating and teleporting home. On a whim, Ed, having traveled some distance decides to once again attempt to Locate Object, and nearly unbelievably he detects the mirror inside the crushed basilica. It was unexpectedly close! But how could they distract those armies?
 
Their idea was simple. Paint Turbo in Thayan colors, and then have him wave a Thayan Robe as a banner. Theodore would impersonate a Thayan with the other robe, and run into the battle claiming to have been betrayed by the Netherese. They agreed, and quickly set to work, setting Turbo on fire and sending him in as a flaming juggernaut.
 
Theodore yelled in his most grandiose voice! “THEY HAVE BETRAYED US! END THEM!” The fight broke out in earnest as Turbo crashed into the Netherese, spells flared from both sides as the party crept around the back of the basilica. They would paint a hole into the wall using Nolzur’s pigments and rush into the citadel on the other side. The party ran ahead as Theodore put on his show, expecting him to follow up shortly. But Theodore saw an opening in the chaos, and instead ran towards the melee gripping tightly the relic he had taken from Yagya Karn.
 
Blasts of eldritch energy and magical explosions erupted around him, but everything stopped when he lifted the rod and spoke. “Now you listen to me, and me alone!” The battle halted, as nearly three fourths of the survivors turned towards Theodore transfixed by his words. The machine the only thing still killing, as it was on orders from Pahhu still. Realizing the danger Theodore commended the group to end Turbo, and end the fight. Under a barrage of withering magic missiles the mighty construct which had aided them thus far was rent asunder, shredded into scraps.
 
About this time the group around back took the silence for good news, and despite not having Theodore pushed into the library. Pahhu left behind chalk tophats, the top pointing the way they went. They didn’t get far though before small floating eyes began to approach, seemingly children of a Beholder. A quick and brutal fight broke out, with the small beholders being little match for the group. Ed indicated the mirror was just downstairs, and as Pahhu looked ahead she saw it. A violet floating eyeball staring back at her. A beholder had the mirror.
 
As slime and tentacles surrounded them, they had no choice but forward and headed downstairs. The beholder was waiting for them though, and unleashed a withering array of blasts, petrifying Barnaby. Pahhu leapt ahead with a teleport, appearing behind the Beholder and uncorking her Eversmoking Bottle, clouding everything except where the beholder was looking. The group scrambled to try to approach, but as they covered the distance Ed was struck unexpected overwhelming firepower. Withering necrotic and force energy slammed into him, disintegrating his body in an almost instantaneous death. Having obliterated Ed, the Pahhu spun its eye to Pahhu, dispelling the smoke.
 
The group covered the lair as Pahhu faced off with the beholder, Marinette charging and leaping in as she hacked and punched at it. Nyx fired arrows into its thick hide, and Jorah unraveled the Beholder’s life force. The beholder snarled at Pahhu, and fired a telekinetic ray into the eversmoking bottle sending it flying across the room as he swept his eye clearing the smoke. Pahhu finally saw that Ed was missing, and howled in rage as she moved with greater invisibility, moving faster than the eye could see as she hacked into the Beholder’s flank!
 
Marinette grappled the hideous monster by its stalked, and drove her fist into the beholder’s eye repeatedly. It responded by aiming all of its attention on her, slowing her, and knocking her unconscious. Nyx and Jorah got into position and began to lay fire into the Beholder, but eyes erupted from the floors and ceilings, and Nyx was paralyzed just as Jorah’s feet began to turn to stone. Things looked very grim.
 
Pahhu screamed at Marinette! “GET UP!” As she ripped into the area, unleashing a half dozen missiles, tearing into the temporal energy plane as sparks of static and force erupted. Shocked awake by the pain Marinette stood up and unleashed a primal war cry, the sheer defiance of which shook the room. Nyx and Jorah were heartened by this, and shook off their ailments, saved by the vitalizing force in Marinette’s voice.
 
The beholder cackled and unleashed beam after beam in response, slamming Jorah into the ceiling, and slowing Marinette to a crawl. Pahhu continued the onslaught of eroding the barrier between planes, flares of temporal force pounding the beholder as Marinette hacked and punched the things rubbery hide. Jorah, pinned against the ceiling and staring upside down and prone, unleashed a final spell and pulled the last bit of life from the Beholder. It was dead.
 
With that they quickly gathered themselves as Theodore found them, and taking the mirror and what they could gather of Ed they did some brief exploration and then teleported back to Lerwick. What would they see in the mirror?