After recovering from the illusory countermeasures and getting caught up on the current situation, Leelan would begin examining the strange creature frozen in place. Having it stand still like this is a great opportunity for him to take notes and draw sketches for his manuscript, though learning its abilities might require a confrontation with it. (If time allows, Leelan would use Hunter’s Sense to try and gleam any damage resistances, immunities and vulnerabilities the creature may have).

When the party gathers around the large metal door, he chimes in. "As you’ve all theorized, the people responsible for triggering these protective countermeasures could still be here. It’ll probably be hazardous, but I think if there’s a possibility they are beyond this door, we should look for them. If they’re still alive, they could be thankful for our rescue and become allies."

Leelan:

 [So... no murdering the entranced meatball for now.  Are we going through the doorway?  Any actions/spells first?  What marching order?]

"I agree Leelan, if given the chance we should try to establish peceful contact with the visitors, I'm sure they have much useful information about this place, and perhaps also Deinochlorodon." The young noble says calmly.

(I think maybe we're leaning towards killing the horror before accidentally setting it free but Aubrey would leave the choice with the others. Then I assume we move ahead. Aubrey has no special preparation to make other than steeling himself for the mental strain ahead. Marching order would be as per usual; Raqisat, Grugga, Cosette, Aubrey and Leelan :-)

Cosette had been standing there holding her chin in thought as the boys muse their thoughts out loud. She'd occasionally lean this way and that, watching the moving eyeballs watch them. She actually takes a real moment to take it all in. Her skin was peppered in goosebumps, hair standing on end.

"I just wanna take a moment teh take a step back an' look at the big picture here a sec." Cosette finally breaks her silence. "We have the eyeball buddy outside observing us. We have a petrified elf upstairs. We have one of five eyes on pause right here." She breaks it down in steps, then gestures to the eyes before them. "Them eyes seem to be watching us, much like we be watchin' it." She notes, hoping she's not imagining it like how paintings seem to 'watch' you as you move. "It studyin' us in it's state, just like us?" Cos wonders, thinking back to the others discussing dispatching it while it's vulnerable. "Am I outta mah mind, or speciesist? Teh wonder if it be communicating with the other? Or their presences be connected?" Maybe even to this experiment Aubrey mentioned. And even without Aubrey saying it, she could read the elvish script. It specifies elves, but what about those with elven blood, a half elf such as herself?

Cos then takes a deep breath, hating to admit vulnerability or being scared but... She felt to be at an incredible disadvantage here. She'd really have to rely on her companions, much like she has to even have gotten this far through the place she wanted to explore most. Cosette exhales. "I ain't feelin' the most confident in this place." She winces as if it were physically painful for her to speak lack of confidence out loud. "Them illusions an' reality overlaps may really be a ***** fer me an' **** me up." She admits. All that aside, Cosette trusted them more than she has any other collective group of people. Again, they brought her, and everyone else, along this far. "So, if yous don't think it'll be a problem, an' want teh proceed," She would exchange looks with the others, coming to rest on Raqisat. She better not get incapacitated and left like the petrified elf or stunned quintupleye. "Then I'll support the choice of curiosity teh continue."

(Before going through the door or what not, if she could, she'd probably do her Countercharm ability just in case.)

"I'm not sure the sign necessarily means whatever is beyond this door is more dangerous to elves and dwarves, it could possibly be a xenophobic thing of the past. Still, you could wait here and keep an eye on this one." The young noble says to Cosette with a reassuring smile, nodding at quintupleye.

     "I don't want to leave anyone behind," Raqisat says.  "Waiting outside a room is one thing, but surely no further than that..." he continues, trying to assess and balance risks in his head.

     "It specifies Elves and Dwarves.  Why?" he asks (and tries to think upon his own knowledge of the Empire and it's history to try to guess.  History - 2.  He has no clue so he definitely looks to Aubrey and Leelan for their thoughts.)  "Could it be just a speciesist thing or more likely to be bological?  It doesn't say anything about gnomes or orcs or halflings..."

     After some discourse on that topic Raqisat suggests that himself and Aubrey advance into the room to have a look around.  "Aubrey can look around to try to figure stuff out, I'll be there in case there is trouble.  The rest can hang by the door listening, ready to jump in if necessary?  I figure maybe Aubrey can figure out from the inside if something is activated that could be causing the holding effect.  Preferably not disabling it until we decide what to do with the eye-thing out there....  And maybe something in there will indicate if it's safe for our Cosette and others to enter or not.  And if not, we may have no reason to risk them entering after we two check it out anyway..."

     "As for your theory about the two abominations communicating," Raq says to Cosette.  "I really have no idea on that.  Them both being eye-things could be coincidental.  It could be one path of abomination type, maybe?  Connected but not the same?  But...  I'm wondering if this one frozen here?  Maybe it's supplemental eyes are part of it but not wholly it?  Like maybe they have their own brains or something?  So some affected but not others?"  Raqisat shrugs.  "More Leelan's thing so unless the decision is forced upon us, I'll let Leelan decide if we kill it or not."

History check (to see if Leelan knows about any speciesism toward dwarves and elves in the Empire): 8 (rolled in dice log)

As Leelan’s specialty is more focused on beasts and monsters, he can’t quite recall if dwarves and elves were treated differently. He shakes his head at Raqisat. "Forgive me, I’m unable enlighten you on this."

(Would Leelan be able to summarize anything else from the creature after spending a few minutes analyzing it? Anything that could answer the party’s questions? Would a check be required?)

(Aubrey History regarding the racist signs: 17 Another roll if advantage due to his knowledge about the old empire: 20)

Grugga recalls recalls something tangentially related in his readings ((it was a previous post as we were preparing to head to Amnifortis)): "Elves and Dwarves in Amnifortis... I remember reading about plagues in Amnifortis before the Breach that affected only Dwarves and Elves. It could be coincidence, but could it be possible that this university is related to the plagues? What if this creature came from the room beyond - perhaps it was not attracted by the containment breach, but is the containment breach?"

Grugga ponders the possible revelation. Were the plagues that hit Amnifortis before the Breach magical in nature? Were they related to experiments that, perhaps, caused the Breach? That might explain why the Dwarven texts recorded the Emperor and the major nobility leaving Amnifortis before the Breach; perhaps they ordered a dangerous experiment and left just in case. But why would these experiments be conducted in the university for illusion and enchantment. A piece of the puzzle was missing.

Despite his reluctance to exploring this place earlier, Grugga has a sudden and intractable desire to press on. "Let's keep going." He says, nodding to Aubrey and Raqisat to enact their plan to scout ahead. "Cosette, do you have a way to protect yourself from disease, just in case?"

Leelan agrees with Grugga. "I’m usually not one for gambling, but I’m willing to take the chance to move on ahead and leave this creature be. I’d rather preserve as much resources as possible for what’s behind these doors. Who knows? Perhaps there is another exit past here, and we won’t have to circle back to this room."

If no one has anything else to add, he’ll follow the artificer.

     "Perhaps you play the rear guard?" Raqisat suggests to Cosette.  "No need for you to risk it and enter the room..."

Aubrey, you don't know of any specific racist motivation which might forbid Dwarves and Elves from this facility, but you would certainly be aware that, in the old Empire, Humans were the dominant social caste.  Orcs, while less numerous than Elves or Dwarves, were considered to be more loyal and thus were granted more rights and privileges in Imperial society.  Dwarves, who never truly relinquished the grudge of being conquered by humans, and Elves, who never wholeheartedly integrated into Imperial society (or, for that matter, the empire of the Dwarves before them) were very much outsiders, even those who lived and worked inside the great cities of men.  For example, there were no records of any Elven nobility, and the only Dwarven nobles were those who held onto remnant titles after the peace accords that settled Human dominion on the continent.

So, while you can't say with certainty that the Elven and Dwarven exclusions on the sign are purely xenophobic, neither can you rule it out.  If there was something secret or dangerous here, it could be that the Humans simply wanted to keep such knowledge away from Elves and Dwarves.

[I'm sorry for the pause lasting longer than intended, but I am back home and ready to proceed.]

Opening and moving past the heavy door, the party proceeds into a dark hall.

And then they find themselves transported to a serene mountainside bathed in the soft light of a spring morning.  The air is crisp and invigorating, carrying the faint scent of pine and wildflowers.  The sky overhead is a deep, cloudless blue, with the sun just beginning its ascent, casting a warm, golden hue across the landscape.

Around them, the mountainside is alive with vibrant colors and gentle motion.  A lush carpet of emerald-green grass stretches out beneath their feet, soft and cool to the touch. Wildflowers in every imaginable shade—lavender, yellow, crimson, and white—dot the hillside, swaying gently in a breeze they can feel but know isn't real.  The petals seem to shimmer as they catch the light, almost as if the flowers themselves are infused with magic.  To their left, a small, crystal-clear stream winds its way down the slope, its waters sparkling in the sunlight.  The sound of the babbling brook is soothing, mingling with the distant, melodic calls of birds hidden among the trees.  The stream's surface is so perfectly reflective that they can see the sky and the surrounding landscape mirrored within it, creating the illusion of a world within a world.

Tall, ancient trees rise majestically along the edge of the hillside, their leaves a fresh, vibrant green.  The branches rustle softly, casting dappled shadows on the ground below. As they move closer, they can even hear the faint creaking of wood, as if the trees are gently swaying in the breeze.  The air is filled with the soft hum of life—a bee buzzing lazily from flower to flower, the chirping of crickets hidden in the grass, and the occasional flutter of a butterfly's wings as it dances through the air.  Every detail is rendered with painstaking accuracy, from the way the sunlight filters through the leaves to the faint chill that lingers in the shade.

Despite knowing it is an illusion, the party finds it difficult to distinguish any flaw in the scene.  The warmth of the sun, the bubbling sound of the stream, even the faint scent of earth and flowers—all feel as real as the world outside.  The illusion is so convincing that it's easy to forget, even for a moment, that they are standing in the basement of an ancient, ruined college and not on a peaceful mountainside far from civilization.

Ahead, just inside a cop of trees, there is a shimmer of golden light.  A dome, a shield of magical energy, surrounds tables and benches, out of place here on a mountainside but setting appropriate, perhaps, for a research room in a laboratory.  On a pedestal in the center of the dome, surrounded by crackling energy, is a massive blue crystal, as large as a beer barrel.  Sitting on the floor at the base of that pedestal is an Elven woman.  She is armored in iridescent chain covered in an immaculate white tabard.  As you appear on the mountainside, she startles, then waves a hand across her face.  In an instant, she disappears.

[You appear to be about 60' from the edge of the golden dome/shield.  The dome has a radius of 40' with the pedestal in the center... the Elf that just disappeared was about 100' away.]

Everyone make History checks, please.

History: 25 (20+5, rolled in dice log)

Aubrey History: 12

"WAIT, WE COME IN PEACE, WE ARE EXPLORERS OF THESE RUINS, SAME AS YOU. WE HAVE FOUND YOUR ASSOCIATE AND MAYBE WE CAN HELP HIM. WE WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AND HOPEFULLY HELP WITH YOUR SITUATION HERE. STAY INVISIBLE IF YOU PREFER THAT BUT PLEASE TALK WITH US, I'M SURE THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH PARTIES." The young noble calls out to the elven woman, also motioning for Cosette to step forward with him to show they had elven blood with their group.

Persuasion to establish peaceful contact: 21 Another roll if help action is provided: 23

History:  3 
Raqisat knows nothing.

History: 20

Grugga is glad that Aubrey is taking the lead, because he isn't sure what to make of the scene. "What is this place? ..." he wonders aloud, as he takes in the idyllic sights. He looks behind him, wondering if Zap has also found his way into the illusion - can machines be bamboozled? he wonders absently. Something to look into after all this. "I mean, I know it's an illusion. I mean, I think. But where is this supposed to be?"

As Cosette passes him, Grugga whispers, "try Elvish if she doesn't respond."

[Good enough.  Cosette can still roll the History check.]

Before the Elf disappears, Leelan and Grugga both make a surprising observation.  The woman's face is familiar.  Not from any personal interaction or past experience that have had with this person, but from numerous illustrations, posters and warning they have observed.  She is not merely an Elf... she is one of the Ancients.  The High Elves... the invaders.  They of the fearsome magics and deadly airships.  Her face, the face she shares with all the women of her kind, is well-known now, and unmistakable if you are paying attention.

[As a bit of a refresher, the Ancient Elves all appear (at least to the eyes of other races) identical.  The women all look to be identical twins of one another, and the men twins of each other as well.  The Ancient Elf turncoat known as the Dawntreader (whom some of the PC's met long ago in this campaign) is the spitting image of all of the men of his race.]

What's more, after working on the statue outside, Grugga is now convinced the Elf he put back together was another Ancient Elf.  It was less obvious when working on the rough grey stone, but having since this Elf in the flesh, the resemblance is too much to be a coincidence.