The empty bow stays put, however...

Before you finish moving your head into position, Perspicacious, the colors flash and you feel a weighty fuzziness enter your mind. There is a flash of light, a sudden rush of air, and the gate is gone!

(Perspicacious, you will apply -5 to all INT checks moving forward. Ignore your current modifiers and subtract 5 from those rolls. You also lose the ability to take the Help action under any circumstances!)

Beyond the gate you see a large circular atrium. The wall reaches upward 60 or 70 feet, and an enormous tree in the room's center stretches its branches toward the glass ceiling. Vines cover much of the walls, and a spiraling staircase is crumbling as it winds its way to the top of the room. There is one exit directly across from the entrance: a dark tunnel that you can see if you peek around the tree in the middle of the room. 

Perspicacious blinks hard, trying to clear the light from her eyes as the room comes into focus "Is everyone okay? I feel... fuzzy. Like, I can't think clearly... but at least the door is gone." She takes a cautious step into the room, checking around for anything of particular interest.

Perception: 16

The tiefling is, however, still blinded by the light.

Jean frowned. "Alright enough, but I think we've just been disarmed of our most potent weapons. How much you want to bet that we'll need them?"

Quote from Rivina >>

Jean frowned. "Alright enough, but I think we've just been disarmed of our most potent weapons. How much you want to bet that we'll need them?"

 "I'm not a betting woman, but we'll just have to make due, and use whatever else we have available to us. Improvise as it were," says Perspicacious with mock confidence. To be honest, she's not sure if she has the faculty of improvisation after that blinding light. 

(OOC I'm going to proceed into the room, assuming everyone else is coming along.)

Tony stretches with heavy eyes, “Agreed... gonna take more than just some exhaustion to take the wind out of me. Let’s move.”

Amaruve walks ahead. Feeling his connection to Gaia weakened further is certainly unpleasant, but it certainly isn't the first time.

As you enter the room, those glowing crystals begin to light the floor and the space surrounding the tree. You now see that there are thin, rectangular panels of glass positioned at intervals surrounding the tree. Each is roughly six feet high and two feet wide. There are perhaps twenty panels altogether, spaced apart evenly. Or, there would have been twenty. Several panels are cracked, broken in half, or missing entirely.

You are standing ten feet away from the nearest panel. Nothing has reacted to your presence save for the glowing crystals. 

Jean raises an eyebrow. "It's the winter solstice already? Shouldn't there be more decorations on the tree then?"

Tony yawns, “You talking about Mishmas? We don’t decorate trees or anything like that, we make makeshift gifts for people. It’s where the name comes from ‘mish mash,’ which got shortened down to ‘mishmas.’ We celebrate it every year, but it’s still a bit off.”

Fiorello looks at you oddly, Jean. "Winter solstice? No, young warrior, it's-"

But the aarakocra is cut off as the panel nearest you flickers to life. A humanoid figure made of softly glowing light appears in the glass and you hear a gentle susurrus (nothing fatal, just the soft murmuring of dozens of voices at once). For those of you who speak more than one language, you hear the following message in each of those languages simultaneously:

"Welcome, weary travelers. Thank you for sharing this day with Laputa. It is our hope that you find rest here for as long as you require it. Should you-"

The message continues, but you are distracted from it by Fiorello, who screams and clutches at his head. "AUGH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" he screams, and blood begins to run from his eyes.

Tony smacks Fio on the head, “Turn off the spell, birdbrain!”

Jean attempted to help Fiorello by covering his ears with her hands.

Quote from JcAndD >>

Tony smacks Fio on the head, “Turn off the spell, birdbrain!”

 Fiorello makes a sharp twisting motion as he dispels comprehend languages, but the damage is done. He passes out as Jean cradles his head. His cries continue to echo upward and around the atrium (MAKEITSTOP-MAKEITSTOP-MAKEITSTOP-MAKEITSTOP-). 

You hear a rustling overhead. Roll perception!

For those who pass a DC 15:

Tony looks around: 18

”All day with this...”

Quote from JcAndD >>

Tony looks around: 18

”All day with this...”

 (Yeah, this is going to get a little spooky)

Amaruve's senses are keen (Perception: 22)

Amaruve growls at the second floor balcony drawing the parties attention to the figure disappearing there.

Perception: 6

(just want to be sure the scene is clear: you are in the atrium, which is huge and dominated by the massive tree in its center. A crumbling staircase winds around the atrium against the wall. There are glass panels that apparently play a recorded message on the ground surrounding the tree, and a couple of you just saw a pair of eyes retreat into a dark hallway a little ways up the staircase.

...aaaaand GO!)

Perception: 7

Perspicacious didn't see the figure, but trusts Amaruve's eyes. Not wanting to waste any time, she yells to the group to give chase, and tries to climb the crumbling staircase to the balcony.

Amaruve bolts ahead up the stairs after the eyes.