3-3: The Inner Sanctum

Following a preamble building up to it, Morik too swears a mighty oath. "I swear that I would help maintain the balance of nature and seek its restoration should it fall, so that all may find harmony, and love, and a happy hearth."

The orb flares and Morik is filled with the sense of expectant Nature: the world around him looking to him as its champion.
Then, as the two statues withdraw and settle back into their original positions, the light of the orb recedes once more.

Elysia nudges Eozindra, pulling her aside to whisper. "What do you think happens if we try to get past without swearing an oath? I might be able to get in and grab that thing before the statues finish moving..."

Ishi shuffles uncomfortably and asks Adran: "You think we ALL need to swear an oath?"

Eozindra nods, takes a deep steadying breath, then steps forward; Elysia clutches at her hand for a moment, but the bard extricates herself with a reassuring smile. Then she steps past Ishi, Faith, and Morik, approaching the third pair of statues. The light of the orb suddenly shines brilliantly in her face again, and the third set of two statues animates, moving fluidly to face her and cross halberds in her path.

In unison, the two statues sing out in achingly beautiful harmony, serenading Eozindra and bringing moisture to everyone's eyes.

"WE SWORE OUR LIVES TO MAINTAINING PEACE IN ALL THE GREENWOLD.

WHAT OATH DO YOU SWEAR THAT MAKES YOU WORTHY?"

Confronted by the prospect of maintaining peace, Eozindra experiences a radicalizing epiphany, then swears a mighty oath: "I swear to speak for those who cannot otherwise be heard. I will do my utmost to spread truth, educating those who are not destined to receive such knowledge so as to enrich their minds and nourish their spirits. As I am able, I shall fight to bring true balance to Greenwold’s inhabitants so that every man, woman, and child may find true inner peace regardless of station."

The orb flares with light, and part of that light settles into Eozindra as a warm burning feeling of righteous conviction. Then the light fades and recedes once more, returning the bard to the dimness with the others. Mollified, the third pair of statues uncross their weapons, swivel back to their original positions, and cease moving.

What do you do next?

Sensing its creator's disquiet, Mara shifts uneasily, its metal claws clacking noisily on the smooth stone. Adran touches Elowin's reliquary for strength. He sighs, and steps forward past Faith, past Morik, and past Eozindra, to enter the light of the shining orb. Predictably, the final pair of massive statues smoothly turn to block his path.

When they speak to address Adran, it is in a harmony of minor chords, and everyone in the Inner Sanctum is filled with a powerful sense of sorrow and regret.

"WE SWORE OUR LIVES TO DESTROYING IN PEACE THAT WHICH WE HAD CREATED IN WAR.

WHAT OATH DO YOU SWEAR THAT MAKES YOU WORTHY?"

"Then I swear that I will kill those who have killed innocents for this stupid orb." As Adran swears this oath, the orb flares again.

But this time the orb flares with a dire red light. This light does not feel warm or righteous; it feels wrathful and violent. The light swirls into visible bands that coil onto Adran and then sink into him: a sacred promise of vengeance and murder. Adran's hackles rise and a snarl escapes his lips, but then the oathlight comes to a rest deep within him and he feels at peace: more peaceful than he has felt since before Elowin's death. He knows that the oath burns within him. There will be blood.

With the disappearance of the light, the room is in complete darkness for a moment. With their darkvision, everyone can see that the statues move silently to either side and resume their original positions.

Then the stillness is broken by a peal as of a giant bell tolling; the sound resonates with the stone of the sanctum itself, the entire structure rumbling and quaking.

Then, as the echoes of the ringing of the bell fade, the darkness recedes slightly as a warm yellow glow appears deep in the heart of the orb, as of a single candle.

Unimpeded by the statues or any invisible barriers, the party advances on the artifact. Adran picks up the orb and the others gather around to examine and touch it. The orb weighs five pounds: a perfect sphere that measures 5" in diameter composed of some hard, pearlescent material with a slightly silver sheen.

Without words, the orb nevertheless communicates to each of you that it is the Orb of Dragon Souls.

Eozindra's eyes widen, and everyone exchanges glances in the faint yellow light.
There are countless legends of the Orb of Dragon Souls.
Each of the PCs have heard some of these stories, and Eozindra has told some herself.
The legends all involve fantastical magical abilities that the Orb possessed, and they all say that the Orb has been lost since the War of the Dragons.

There is one other thing all the legends and stories agree on:
the Orb of Dragon Souls has the power to utterly dominate dragons to the will of its wielder.

If the location of such a legendary artifact were to become widely known, its bearers would surely become the target of all who crave power, and all who seek to maintain their own.

As the characters weigh the heavy orb in their hands, and weigh the consequences of their actions and the ramifications of this development, they each ascend to level four.