Downgloin Part 2 - The Medusa

We started our journey in Downgloin - the mysterious forgotten city. The lower half of the city seems flooded by a magical liquid, which has preserved the buildings pristinely, as though trapped in time. The upper half that is not covered has aged as normal - although clearly this whole city has not been touched in recent memory.
 
That is, other than by Aluxius - a mage of the Syndicate, as it once was, who has left a trail of modified bodies and arcane experimentation in his wake.
 
Lovely, I’m so excited to meet him.
 
As we stood overlooking the city, we realised that this was the other place to which the portal in Safehaven might have taken [female mage]. It begins to grow in our minds that perhaps she was not lying - perhaps she was working with Aluxius himself and he is not so innocent of the horrible human experimentation that we witnessed happen to Cobra.
 
We walk through the upper half of the city - using bridges which run from building to building. The water (?) lies below us. We discover that it, when provoked, may try to pull you in. Everywhere there are statues of people, made entirely of glass.
 
Cromren tells us that there is something else beneath the water - a giant, squid-like creature with clockwork aspects - similar to Sphynxy-boy. At first we do not notice, but it soon becomes obvious that nothing in this city is as it seems.
 
We head towards the tallest building - a massive spire like a cathedral, with gargoyles of glass arranged around its roof. Looking down from the holes in the roof, a set of shackles lie broken and empty in the centre of the cathedral.
 
Always a good sign.
 
Myself and Zyor sensibly choose to remain up on the roof (although of course - I could have gotten down if I wanted to!). Wynra flies, of course, taking Ignis, and Brax uses the immovable rod to lower himself. What a fascinating device.
 
Cromren, of course, chooses the most … direct route.
 
Inside the cathedral, forgotten, trapped, and driven mad, is a Medusa - though, she is no longer alive. While I have studied such creatures in theory, I cannot say that I have ever heard of one who could make its victims turn to glass, as this one does.
 
The party takes different routes to fight the Medusa without looking at her. Wynra appears to attempt to intimidate her with a long series of strikes that never hit, Brax is immediately petrified, Zyor summons a griffin - magnificent - which also quickly becomes petrified.
 
Cromren, ever brave in the face of danger, jumps straight from the roof into the chamber, blesses the party with his magic, and then, looking the medusa straight in the eyes, cuts her down with his holy weapon.
 
You can’t argue with results.
 
We leave the cathedral, with a few new spell scrolls.
 
It appears that the Medusa was once the worshipped deity of this city, however, when it died, she did not, and became an undead.
 
Zyor takes her body and drops it gently off the bridge to the next tower. Helpfully, this attracs the mechanical Kraken, and all but Cromren are able to get out of the way of its giant tenticles. Ignis, however, much adapted to these types of scenarios, is able to rush out and grab him, pulling him back into safety.
 
We continue on through the bridges, Ignis creating a map of the city which will help us search for Aluxis. Deep in the ooze below the waterline, we notice spheres of air, with lights, scattered throughout the city - some other phenomenon borne of this strange city’s existence - or a sign of Aluxis’ tampering?
 
We learn that although the Kraken can definitely sense when someone touches the ooze, it can also follow the vibrations of our footsteps as we walk. It follows our every move.
 
Finally, we reach a mayan pyramid-type structure, which contains a coffin suspended by chains above the ooze. Tubes like the ones attached to the brains run in and out of it, into the ooze below.
 
Inside the coffin is the body of a high priest Kenku, who speaks into our minds. It is clear that he is unaware of the nature of his existence. It saddens me, to see lives so used and destroyed. What suffering Aluxis has brought to the world.
 
We fought with the kraken as we set about destroying the coffin. For the duration, the kenku was crying into our minds. But in the end, we defeated them.