[color=95A5A6][b]> "I am also Gelish."
		[Write in: Province of Aurelius]
		[Add Elven to known languages] <[/b][/color]

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	A small smile formed on your lips, the similar smoothness in your tone likely not lost on her since you met. [color=95A5A6]"Yeah, I'm Aurelian,"[/color] you replied in the Gelish tongue as you nodded at her assessment. A returned smile of some commonality from Aika brightened the dim hall on its own, and she commented on it further in your shared native speech. [color=7ea7d8]"Oh! I've heard things have been quite peaceful in Aurelia lately, since Lord Brennan now rules as Duke, anyway."[/color] Your attention turned forward into the darkness and you let out a small sigh. With a bit of somber in your eyes, you looked to her again. [color=95A5A6]"It was... It was rough. His father before him- Alexander- he was always eerie and aloof, but it was a betrayal of his people through and through, whatever it was he was planning with those mind-eating monsters. Brennan did the right thing, but I can't imagine it was easy to slay one's own father..."[/color] Your sobering comment grounded the previously airy mood for a long pause, a small [color=7ea7d8]"I see,"[/color] being the only reply given to you.

	Luckily, there was a light at the end of this gloomy tunnel- both metaphorically and literally- as a yellow glow came into view as you and Aika found yourselves in a chamber much smaller than the one you rescued her from. Similar to that giant hall from earlier, this space was filled with ornate banners and decor of the ancient Daldoran culture; tattered cloths of a deep maroon accented by fraying grey trim hung from the walls, each depicting designs both abstract and symbolic. You recognized one such symbol- a halberd whose single-bladed head is backed by a sun- as the crest of the current ruling empire. Across the chamber sat an equally intricate door-shaped depression in the stonework of the wall, complete with the shape of a long scaled and winged creature coiled several times around the symbol of a hand, within which a small black glass-like orb sat imbedded into the palm. Surrounding the serpent-like creature on the door were six white circles. The most eye-catching feature of the room however, sat in the center. There, six humanoid statues of varying designs stood in a circular formation, all facing inward toward a central pedestal. All of the statues and the pedestal each contained identical looking orbs, which sat nestled in the palms of the statures and a claw-like brace of the pedestal. The culprit of this strange yellow glow was the orb of the statue nearest the door, which was alight with an equally odd iridescence from within.

	[color=7ea7d8]"Woah..."[/color] Aika found herself in awe as she gently stepped around the room to take in the sights. Your eye was trained for anything to trip over, step on, or walk past that would trigger danger, but her eager movement in a lap around the statues combined with your careful inspections found no traps. Satisfied with your current and relative safety, you turned your attention back towards her. [color=95A5A6]"What is this place?"[/color] She looked back to you, beaming with discovery. [color=7ea7d8]"Well, I wouldn't have found it without you so... It seems to be some kind of sealing chamber,"[/color] she aimed her finger at the door. [color=7ea7d8]"Either keeping us out, or something else in. In short- the target of my research."[/color] You looked around the room with her, trying to make heads or tails of it all. As you followed her explanation to the door, another question fell from your lips.
	
	[color=95A5A6]"So, how do we unseal it?"[/color]

	[color=7ea7d8]"Ah- well- I'm not sure. Partly what I'm here to figure out, right?"[/color]

	[color=95A5A6]"Of course. Got any ideas, then?"[/color]

	Aika lifted her hand to the handprint on the door, pressing her palm against the orb. [color=7ea7d8]"Something important enough to secure like this, it's definitely sealed off with some kind of magic- there's no breaking this door down anyway."[/color] She removed her hand and took a step back, just as you joined by her side to aid in inspecting the designs on the door. [color=95A5A6]"Perhaps this artwork is a clue for how to open it?"[/color] She leaned in and studied the designs for a long and silent moment, then turned to the statues, wagging her finger at each one as she took stock of the room. [color=7ea7d8]"Six circles, six statues. And these glass balls,"[/color] her curiosity got the better of her, as she reached her hand out to touch the glowing orb in the folded palms of the first statue. With a flash of light, the orbs of the other five statues began to glow, and the light of the orb she touched faded away into darkness. A surprised [color=7ea7d8]"Whah!"[/color] loosed itself from her as she recoiled. She laughed it off, then looked at you briefly. [color=7ea7d8]"Sorry- I couldn't help myself, hmmm,"[/color] the gears in her head began to turn as she reached again toward the orb with greater confidence. At a second touch, the other five statues' orbs faded and this first one began to glow once again.

	As you watched her little experiment, you had a view of this first statue from behind. Upon closer inspection, you noticed something engraved across its back. You squinted in the dim light and read the small Daldoran text, which read:

	[i]The Emperor - Commander of the Realm[/i]

	You looked back up, taking note of the statue itself. As the engraving suggested, the shape of a royal crown built onto the head of the statue gave it a rather regal appearance. Your eyes shifted to the other five statues, realizing then that each similarly was constructed with different attire. [color=95A5A6]"Aika, look,"[/color] you beckoned her to join you as you walked around the statues, reading each engraving on its back:

	[i]The Acolyte - Advisor to His Glory[/i]
		
	[i]The Knight - Pursuant of the Vile[/i]

	[i]The Scoundrel - Pilferer of the Court[/i]

	[i]The Fool - A simple Distraction[/i]

	[i]The Hermit - Avatar of Solitude[/i]

	[color=95A5A6]"What do you make of this,"[/color] you asked her as you returned to where you started. [color=95A5A6]"Another clue?"[/color] She scratched the back of her head as she walked between the statues, pacing around within the hexagon they made. [color=7ea7d8]"Looks like it, but what about the centerpiece? It looks like just a claw... And there's no name or title on it. We could try experimenting with it more, what do you think?"[/color]

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[color=95A5A6]
	• "Do you know any magic that can help us decipher it?"

	• "What of all these banners on the walls?"

	• Touch one of the statue's orbs.
		[Write in: Choose a statue.]

	• Touch the orb on the central pedestal.
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