Pahhu: Shifting Sands of Time 8: Into Synod

DAY 13
 
The group gathered, weary of conversation and thankful for the chance to simply move they teleported back to Charva’s sanctuary and then began to fly in the sky via wind walk. Without telepathic bond they flew silently together, each in their own thoughts as they considered their situations and relationships.
 
DAY 14
 
Another day of lengthy travel at last ended as they came to the border of the ruins of Synod. What would the fallen city hold for them?
 
DAY 15
 
The party woke to a clear sky overhead. The information they’d gathered led them to an area a few square miles in total along the unnatural ridgeline along the High Moors. Barnaby communed with the trees and rocks in the area, learning of the fallen city as the trees spoke of the great brick walls and structures deep underground that their roots tickled against. With their guidance the party soon found a cave entrance, recently collapsed with thick and heavy stones blocking their way. It took some effort, but the way was soon clear.
 
The sloping natural cave floor gave way to strangely blocky corridors opening into nearly square caverns. They were crawling through the twisted wreckage of some long fallen building, slowly being ground away by nature’s weathering. Corridors gave way to great caverns, and twisting paths, but soon they came to a deep pool of water. It seemed to be the local low point where water had accumulated from the rains washing in.
 
Investigating the water they were nearly taken by surprise when a group of Gricks dropped from the ceiling and flapped up from the nearby mud. The battle that broke out was swift and chaotic, but the party guarded each other well, taking advantage of openings when the Grick would attack their allies to quickly subdue them. Theodore, who had shifted into a water elemental dove into the pool looking for a path, but instead only found old adamantine bolts strewn in the water, perhaps remaining there since the crash.
 
Leaving behind the pool they found another narrow cavern which soon revealed tracks, a massive number of people had come through. Nyx estimated the tracks of nearly 70 humanoids leaving bootprints in the soft mud having passed through 2 days or so ago. The group follows the tracks and soon it opens into an enormous cavern, sparsely lit from place to place. They estimate the cavern to be nearly a mile around, though slightly longer than it was wide. There were 11 major landmarks in the city, which appeared to be intact structures from the crash. Many of them were lit by flickering torches which illuminated the shadowy figures of humanoids.
 
Nyx concentrated and detected the presence of humanoids nearby, identifying 72 of them in the cavern. With some foresight the party checked the cavern’s exit for traps, and Jorah using Detect Magic was able to find an Alarm spell. The group decided to use this to their advantage, and an earth elemental was summoned and sent forth to trigger it. The party hid and watched as two figures approached and fired flaming arrows at the area, granting them vision. The two then ran back and returned with two others, in blood red robes. One of the robed figures cast a spell and the elemental vanished, seemingly banished from the plane.
 
Realizing they might be up against powerful wizards and possibly Thayans, the party elects to prepare a stealthy approach. Theodore’s research suggested the High Temple would be on the far side of the cavern. Not wanting to face the group head on they began to prepare a stealth approach. As they rested and gathered themselves, Nyx kept checking in on the humanoids, watching their patrols. She soon detected an army of over 80 coming in from the southeast, heading directly towards them. It might be the Gith chasing them again, or reinforcements for the Thayans ahead of them. Deciding they had to act they quickly gathered together and dispelled the Alarm.
 
Nyx cast Pass Without Trace, and Theodore used his magic to grant Ed, Jorah and Marinette the Grace of the Cat through Enhance Ability. With careful movements and a little luck the party picks through the debris of the city and makes their way around the periphery of the cavern towards the temple on the far side. As they go Nyx tries to keep tabs on the encroaching group, and it is soon clear that the two sides are lining up for a clash near the cavern entrance. Their numbers begin to drop and the party is thankful for their clash. As they arrive they find a corner of the collapsed temple their only way in, and as they pick over the stones they come to face an intact giant marble statue, pouring a vase into a hole in the floor. The water flowed endlessly, but as Pahhu stepped inside to get a better look it the statue began to swivel towards her.
 
The gargantuan statue raised its arm as if about to bring it down upon the encroachers to the temple, and looked at Pahhu expectantly, the threat clear. On a panicked hunch Pahhu pulled from her pouch her ‘Stork Egg’ the Orb of Time given to her by Habib, a treasure of Amaunator that always leads to his constellation in the northern sky. The orb glowed brighter than usual in the temple, and the statue cocked it’s head towards Pahhu as if acknowledging her, then reversed its motion and returned to its previous pose, the water once again spilling into the hole.
 
The group was dumbfounded, for once Pahhu’s ‘stork egg’ had done something useful! The party looked around, and found nothing in the temple area but two blood smears… seemingly recent victims to the statue’s vigilance. Two large stone doors at the northern end of the room were uncovered under layers of thick dust. Inscribed with prayers, one door gave praise to Amaunator for the giving of the day and sung of the the dusk. The other spoke of the new day, and gave thanks for every opportunity overseen by Amaunator.
 
Pushing the doors open the party found a surprisingly well preversed marble temple, the pillars intact and ancient stone pews facing a pulpit at the far end. Behind the pulpit stood the ruined gouged out body of an enormous steel construct, motionless. A massive sun-hilted sword was engraved and painted into the floor. The pulpit still held an enormous prayer book filled with stories. Jorah began to read from it while the others began to explain. Nyx focused on the clash happening outside, as the battle raged and the numbers fell on each side.
 
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The book spoke of many stories:
The Baptism of children in front of a 4’x3’ mirror on an ornate golden stand. The reflection on the mirror showing the child surrounded by the motifs of different things, a knight, a merchant, a priest, a beggar. Perhaps different futures?
A mighty warrior with a sun-flamed sword fighting a horse of darkness.
Mighty glowing anvils being worked by many smiths, producing plows, shields, swords, helmets, and the tools of different trades.
Grand flowing glowing wings on a general flying over troops as he surveys a battlefield.
A crowned individual, a young looking male with brown hair and ruddy skin, holding a gold and silver horn to his lips as warriors of pure sunlight surround him and ride forth against darkness.
More images of the mirror, as it shows up repeatedly in many legends.
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As the others explore Marinette finds a trapped box, which Pahhu disarms. Inside they find old potions, seemingly strength potions that have aged and lost potency and some liquor which had gone very foul, reminiscent of Dwarven gutbusters. On the other side of the temple they find an artfully engraved box. Inside is similarly engraved and well crafted armor that they seen identify to be mithral plate armor.
 
Ed having now seen images of the mirror, and believing it to be the relic casts Locate Object and begins to wander the temple trying to get a feel for the missing relic. He senses nothing. Perhaps the mirror is protected, or perhaps it is nowhere near.
 
Finally they have explored the temple completely and are unable to figure out what to do next. They attempt to perform the ritual near where the mirror should be, and surprisingly the altar reacts to the Orb of Time. A thin beam of sunlight came from the ceiling, searched about the room and winked out. With some effort and many retries they manage to try to recreate the scene, with Ed holding a hand mirror, and Marinette holding Nyx up near it. The beam however bounces off the mirror, to a wall across the temple where it shimmers and opens the stone.
 
Dashing after the beam Nyx and Marinette tumble inside a small room, seemingly the chambers of the High priest. They uncover a journal and pull it from the hidden room. Jorah can also read this language, and details the story of the Priest.
 
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The book is filled with:
Stories of the priest going through his prayers
Later becoming obsessed over his mirror and holy artifacts
A presence that comes to him in his dreams named Vaamnohm which promises him he could have everything in the city as his if only he gathers the artifacts
That the priest will rule by Vaamnohm’s side if he succeeds
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After this the priest’s mental health deteriorated rapidly. He became highly secretive of his power and belongings, and prepared for battle, having a suit of armor forged and making notes regarding an upcoming clash. The last pages describe the importance of redirecting the city quickly, and then the journal ends abruptly.
 
As Jorah reads this Pahhu has begun monkeying around with the construct. It is surprisingly built of clockwork and Pahhu begins tinkering with it, oiling the ancient gears. She uncovers an ancient inert battery, and believes it may be fire powered. A pipe leads from its insides to its mouth, and she theorizes it may need to eat some power to be reactivated. After determining it was powered by fire and heat she has Theodore unleash magical fire into it. The construct seems to cough, and a massive cloud of noxious poisonous gas belches forward, leaving Theodore dazed and ill.
 
Re-examining the construct they soon realize the entire body is a conduit for the heat it needs, and bathing it in fire it soon regenerates and reactivates. The golem then sets its sword down, yielding to Pahhu and staring at the Orb of Time expectantly. Pahhu unceremoniously names the construct Turbo, and they begin speaking to it. It becomes clear that Turbo understands very basic questions, and answers them based on very outdated information. It becomes clear that while the construct may help them in some way will need to ask the right question. On the mention of a possible tomb where the priest may be buried the construct begins to walk towards the exit…