Runeforge and the Shimmering Veils (Wednesday, Calistril (II) 5th, 4708 AR)

When the proper key from the Sihedron Circle outside was placed in the proper pillar's keyhole and then turned in two complete revolutions, the pillar began to hum and glow softly. Once the pillar was glowing, its key vanished.

When all seven pillars were active (the order of activation did not matter), the central pillar began glowing and rippled with a vortex of light that combined all seven of the surrounding colors. At the pillar's base, the vortex whirled in on itself like a vertically aligned whirlpool, opening into a 7-foot-wide circular portal through which could be faintly seen a long tunnel. The heroes stepped through this portal into Runeforge.

Runeforge

The approach from the portal was along a 10-foot-wide stone tunnel.

Runeforge Features

Magically Treated Stonework: The walls, floors, and ceilings of Runeforge were made of stone that had been magically treated.

Sustenance: Runeforge sustained those within its walls constantly, keeping them nourished and reviving the body and mind. The heroes did not need to eat, drink, or sleep in Runeforge, except for pleasure.

The Runeforge. This domed chamber was nearly two hundred feet across. A large pool of bubbling prismatic liquid occupied the center of a raised dais in the middle of the chamber. The spiky flanges of the seven-pointed Sihedron were engraved into the marble floor. Each tip of the enormous rune pointed at a twenty-five-foot-tall statue facing the pool with its back approximately ten feet form a partially concealed arched opening in the wall directly behind it. Each statue depicted a different figure, but all were imperious and finely detailed.

The seven statues surrounding the pool were of the seven runelords. The statues themselves were made of the same magically enhanced stone as Runeforge's walls.

The seven statues in the Runeforge were as follows.

Karzoug: A towering man with gems set in his forehead and hands, dressed in robes and wielding a burning glaive.

Krune: A short smiling man with a hooked nose and beady eyes, wearing robes and wielding a spear.

Belimarius: A heavyset woman with a sneering visage and an imperious stance, dressed in a flowing dress and wielding a halberd.

Sorshen: A voluptuous woman with a seductive look, large eyes, and long flowing hair; this statue is nude and wields a double-headed guisarme.

Xanderghul: A strikingly handsome man adorned with a close-cropped beard and a charming expression; his form is dressed in extravagant clothes and wields a lucerne hammer.

Alaznist: A gothic beauty with wild hair and a somewhat insane expression, this woman wears a long flowing dress and wields a thorny ranseur.

Zutha: An obese man, his flesh rotten in places so that the bones show through, wearing a ragged robe and wielding a scythe.

The Shimmering Veils could be reached form the central chamber behind Runelord Xanderghul's statue. An eighth tunnel extended back to the portal linking Runeforge to Rimeskull Mountain. The Shimerring Veils tunnel extended for 150 feet from the edge of the central chamber before reaching the far end of the 10-foot-wide tunnel.

The Shimmering Veils

Thurden felt unwanted and oppressed in this wing. This wing of Runeforge was a grand cathedral decorated with peacock motifs and massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to brightly illuminate it with hundreds of torches.

Reflected Enmity. This brightly-lit corridor was lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The reflections gave the dizzying impression that the corridor opened up to each side, extending infinitely into the distance.

When Shalelu and Thurden came between two of the mirrors and turned to face their reflection in one, they also saw their reflection in the other, triggering two exact duplicates of them to attack them. The heroes defeated the duplicates and broke the mirrors.

The Peacock Shrine. The corridor opened into an immense cathedral of polished ivory flagstones. Mirrored walls rose to a height of nearly a hundred feet, where the vaulted ceiling arched majestically. Four immense chandeliers hang from golden chains and brightly illuminated the entire room. At the center of the cathedral, a three-step dais of polished wood supported a peacock the size of a wyvern, its feathers spread regally behind it. The creature's eyes seemed to hold a great depth of wisdom and intelligence.


The peacock was an illusion. Six simulacra remained. Each simulacrum was identical: an immaculately dressed human man with shoulder-length blond hair. When they detected the heroes, they spoke with one sonorous voice in Thassilonian: "The master is in study - he is not to be disturbed. Please keep your screaming to a minimum while you are punished for daring to venture this close to his magnificence".

The simulacra started combat invisible. The simulacra did their best to rely on invisibility and ranged spells to keep the heroes from being able to directly engage them with ease. The simulacra fought until destroyed.

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