Journal Entry 22:00 The Final Entrance

The party enters the final ziggurat at the base of the tower in the Sarlok city.

The party stumbles out of Air Temple, alert and ready, yet feeling the jolt of having just abruptly woke. Even knowing what to expect. After having spent a few months in an alternate existence, probably the past, this awakening leaves them feeling jarred. Much like stepping off a moving lift as it passes your floor, expectation brings focus to the event and the jolt is felt.
They first notice that the anticipated attack from the giants isn’t happen again. Klaus isn’t even visible. They see Maugrin near the Water temple looking to the west. The two wyverns which Klaus treats as trained pets are also high on two of the other temples, looking to the west. All the other visible giants are looking that same direction.
Taking in their surroundings and not seeing a direct threat, the party relaxes enough to begin trying to make out what all the giants are looking at in the distance. They can make out streams of black smoke around the edge of the volcano’s rim that something big is burning in the distance. Not being able to make out more than that, they then start looking for changes in the ancient city, any change which might indicate they were actually in the past.
“Everything looks the same,” Aja says. “Nothing has changed.”
Morvion comments, “You know what would have been a good idea.” No one answers, so he answers unprompted, “If one of us would have left a marker of our time there, like etching our initials in one of these stones.”
“Odd we didn’t think of that, really odd,” Graykar acknowledges.
Aja thinking about this adds, “I wonder, that could mean,” but then she is cut off by Maugrin yelling in response to having spotted the party.
“Klaus, they have exited, they are back,” he yells as he slowly starts clomping his way closer to them. As the party steps off the air temple, they can see Klaus moving with speed in their direction, his long strides covering the distance.
As he nears, the green giant calls out, “Congratulations, you have unlocked the final temple. You are ready to enter the main tower.”
Agreeing, the party moves near the main’s towers entrance stairs. Looking up at the end of the stairs, they can still see the energy field protecting it.
As Klaus seems to know more about it, Morvion turns and asks him, “The barrier is still up? Shouldn’t it have dropped if we have unlocked it as you said?”
“No my friends, it is that you are now able to pass the barrier now that you have unlocked the temples. You now have the means to pass into the tower and turn on the machine. Do you not feel this is true within you? Did you not feel the rush of power each time you unlocked a temple?”
Nodding at this, the party debates how they should proceed. Still wary of an attack by the giants, they decide that Morvion will be the one to try and step through. As he steps closer, both Urik and Tars hear Maugrin whisper loudly up to Klaus, “This will be good.”
Morvion steps into the barrier and is immediately hurled back, the entire energy of the barrier briefly disappearing as it is absorbed into him. He is thrown back fifteen feet, badly injured from the absorbed energy. Urik sets about healing him, focusing on using their connection through the armbands to channel the healing energy. As he does so, he comments, “Even healed, I think it has aged you some.”
Not really helping, they can hear Maugrin jest, “Yeah, I did that also. It hurts.” The entire party hears him but chooses to ignore the snide remark.
Graykar give his best solution, “How about we all try to enter together?”
No one acknowledges him, instead Aja says, “I think I should just try to puddle jump across.” She steps up and looks closely at the barrier. “It’s entropic in nature.” The explaining, she states, “See to the sides of the tower where the barrier sits out a few feet, you can see a slight time dilation. Look at the dead vegetations as it blows behind the tower. One it passes beyond where the barrier intercedes with direct sight, you can see the leaves blow a few second later. Kind of like how water distorts a stick you place in it, yet this is temporal, not a trick of the light.”
Seriously pondering, she then steps back. “I can’t do it. Too dangerous.” The party debates a little longer, then Aja finally builds up the courage once again. “Ok, I will do it.” Casting the spell, she transforms to a beam of light and reforms on the opposite side of the barrier. As soon as she reforms she jerks and then falls to the ground, spasming. They can see electrical bolts coursing from the entrance into her, slowly cooking her as her body curls up and begins to smoke.
Urik begins silently counting seconds to himself as the party just stares, trying to comprehend that they just lost a member. Tars says, “Odd, I didn’t see that coming. Usually, I have warning when she is about to die. Like almost every time.”
Dunger looks back and forth, “Um, one of us just died, isn’t anyone panicked?”
Morvion looks concerned, yet nods with resolute expression. “What is, is what is. We all must die. We live a hard life, we can expect no less than to eventually perish in an unpleasant manner. No shame dying with honor.”
Graykar give his thoughts, “Having seen and remembered many deaths, this is nothing new. Aja may be gone, but her essence will live again. Of this I am certain. It is the mystery which causes the fear, not the death itself.”
Urik remains quiet as he listens to their ideas and comments. As he nears a count of fifty seconds and not heard any other solution, he begins to focus. How he knows he can spin time backward, he isn’t certain. However, from his meditations with Josca, he knows he can invoke the power of Kristor and reverse time. Focusing his will, he concentrates on the deeds just done, forcing his mind to relive the events and recall how events were just a minute past.
Suddenly, with a change only Urik can perceive, he is standing staring at Aja as she is getting ready to cast her Puddle jump spell. “Stop your casting,” he yells.
Aja turns, having stopped. “Why?”
“You will perish, I have seen this. It is as certain as Josca is good.”
Turning to Klaus, Urik asks, “Any suggestions on how to enter.”
During this time both Maugrin and Klaus have been moving closer, one on either side of the party, each standing about fifteen feet away the stairs. Klaus answers, “You must enter as one. When you do, the barrier will drop.”
“I said that,” Graykar mutters.
Agreeing to enter, they step forward as one. The energy field pulses and then is absorbed into the party, causing damage to each of them. They then see that while the barrier has disappeared, it is starting to reform. Before they can step back, they see the two giants, both Klaus and Maugrin step up to the tower, where the shield was at. “Brace yourselves,” Klaus says.
The energy barrier regenerates one more time, pulses, and is absorbed into the party and the giants. This time it is completely absorbed and doesn’t come back.
With the barrier down, they look into the dark entrance leading into the tower. Everyone immediately looks to Morvion. “Absorbing electricity is your thing,” Aja says.
Nodding, he steps up and is immediately overwhelmed. Stepping back, he states, “Too much to absorb into my spear. Give me a second. Rather than absorbing into my spear I want to try something else.”
He steps up again, this time rather than allowing the electricity to flow into his spear, he instead focuses on having it course through him and then into the ground. Keeping the connection solid, he says, “Ok, I hopefully have neutralized this threat. Someone step up and test it.”
Graykar does. Nothing happens. Encouraged by this, he enters and begins to explore the passages. “It’s a maze in here. We need to all come in and probably stay together. Morvion, can you walk and continue doing what you’re doing?”
Morvion gives his assent. The party files in and begins working their way through the maze to its center. In the central chamber is a domed piece of metal sitting on the floor nearly waist high at its height. They first try to slide it around and it moves a little in each direction. It is too heavy to lift, being made of solid metal.
Using all their might, they then try to turn the domed metal and manage to get it to spin some. Graykar observes, “It’s like a pin stuck in a hole. Unless we can lift the whole thing out, we will only be able to rotate it around in the hole in which it resides.”
Urik doesn’t even wait. “Well, each of us should have something to contribute to entering the temple, or so Perlachio said. This one is mine.” Without waiting for the others to agree, he steps forward, sticks his hands on the large piece of metal and concentrates, once again invoking the power of Kristor enabled by his connection to his artifact. The dome disappears as it is pushed from time. “I sent it several days into the future, or rather I think I removed it from time for several days. Let's make sure were are in and out before it reappears, else someone is getting trapped in there.”
Looking at where the dome was at, they see large opening in the ground with a spiral staircase descending into the depths. Filing down the stairs, they entered into a large room filled with several pieces of arcane machinery. “Now this here, it looks familiar. We are on the first layer of the tower,” Graykar says. “Some of these are new, but basically, this is the layout I remember.” He points to two different corners which contain spiral staircases. “The two exits, up and down.”