Session 4: Secrets of the Garuda

General Summary

Entering the strange earthy portal into the hill the party found themselves in a round anti-chamber with a pool in the middle and 3 doorways. While inspecting the room a pair of Garudian statues came to life asking them to, "Simply step forward and say the words and your being shall be made clean". Not knowing exactly what to say the group sent these stone bird people into a rage that didn't cease until they were crushed to small debris. Inspecting the doors, the group found themselves unable to enter the largest door but able to go through the doors marked with a shrub and a tree.   Delving into the shrub room they found hundreds of planters with diverse and thriving plant life. Even in the midst of an enclosed and relatively dark environment. Though not all was well as some of the planters held dead and dried out plant life. Finding a tower that seemingly was the source of life for these plants and with a little investigation, they found an abnormally large mass of plants that was drawing more energy than the rest of the plants. Inspecting it the plant mass roared in agitation and began to attack. Tarzin's construct Alexa took quite a beating but the group was able to slay the beast and reset the flow of energy. Retiring to the anti-chamber to rest it was discovered that their interactions in the previous room seemed to have effected the larger doorway. Giving it some energy and causing some one of the four sunflower symbols to light up. So after a short rest they ventured into the shrub marked room to see what else they could find.   Nothing out of the ordinary was found further in the room, but a doorway marked with deer was discovered on the other side of it. It led the party into a strange orange tinted room with huge teardrop shaped pieces of amber resting on egg cradles. And within the amber were strange and slightly scary sights of different sorts of creatures frozen in motion. Deer, Zarrows, Bears, Mud Gators, and more strange unknown creatures. All seeming on display. Near the door one of the teardrops seemingly melted from its stand and partially encased an old still mushy corpse of a Garuda who was seemingly trying to claw its way out of its prison to no avail. Further into the chamber the group found another tower and a shallow amber pool. Investigating the pool led the party to discover a group of prankster changlings who had disguised themselves as goo monsters and garuda corpses. Wary of interacting with them further they went to the tower. It was much like the one in the shrub room but it actually had markings for seemingly each of the amber teardrops. One of the markings was glowing a harsh red compared to the others light green. Tracing their steps back, mentally using the tower markers as a guide, they eventually arrived back were they started. At the door with the partially melted amber teardrop. From there they worked out how to clear the rest of the amber, which in turn seemed to interact with the anti-chamber door.