Caramip and Dartis watch as the mists inside the orb underneath Nikolos' hands move rapidly once more, but now the white clouds seem to attack and infect the black clouds, turning the entire sphere white. Nikolos seems to moan, and a worried Dartis rushes forward to grab the priest's hands and pull them free, but they seem stuck fast to the glass. The fighter braces himself and pulls once more with greater strength...
Nikolos
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As you resist the urge to take the treasure from the halfling's body, and instead bend to administer healing, the man and your surroundings freeze as if some elegant painting. Not even the breeze moves, and as you stand to try and examine your situation further the land flickers and melts before you into a whiteness, causing you to moan in shock. You find yourself surrounded by white light and floating in disconcerting weightlessness. A figure of an elf with wings spread appears before you... or at least it looks like an elf. The man is slightly stronger in build and his face smooth with an internal tranquility. His eyes take over from his sense of ease and welcoming, their pools of light blue intensity show a touch of sadness and loss. He speaks with a smile and says, "Man of Locusi, I congratulate you on taking your first step in freeing yourself and your fellow soldiers from our unfortunate curse. We wish you no harm despite the fact that you have likely slain us, but your consistent attacks on our lands and temples have left us with no choice but to test you with the hope that you could perceive actions for the greater good. I admit that some of our order were worried that this curse would condemn you to starvation and death in this temple, but the rest of us knew that as thinking men you had the capacity to learn better behavior, and besides, we left a month worth of food for your expected forces to give you time. You have three more tests to accomplish before you will find yourselves able to leave this temple, but they will be similar to this one. There is a lesson here that I wish to impart to you, and maybe make it easier for you to..."
The message is interrupted as you feel as if your soul is ripped from the whiteness of the sphere and back to the sphere room with Dartis holding you by the shoulders and Caramip staring at you in worry.
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... and the priest is freed! The sphere is left completely white inside and still.
Across from the noble, priest, and bard the ghostly image of the strange man in insect-like armor appears. He stares at you in amazement, then back at the orb before chattering at you excitedly in an unknown dialect. He looks to be commanding you, and gestures meaningfully at the next sphere room across the larger, connecting hall.
