Let's say we camped in the other room, because that gives me a chance to do this ...

Mullo watches as Dork marches out of the hall and back into the feasting room. In her usual silent and quiet way, the shaman follows the small metal cleric at a non-threatening distance. She stops to watch Dork from behind as she examines and tests the fire. Not in any kind of alarm or concern, Mullo finally finishes her approach, taking up a space 90 degrees from Dork around the fire, her eyes on the flames as well, but more to exude a sense of comradery rather than conflict. "I do not fault you your question to the giant. Please do not take my encouragement of his remaining with us as a sign that we are not of like minds." She continues to stare at the fire. "My motive is simple. I want to keep my eye on the axe." She finally turns to give Dork a cautious look. "I do not know you. I am, of course, suspicious of and curious about you. My people have avoided much of the new world and adhered to the ways of our ancestors. You, in a sense, are an abomination to our way of life." She pauses, still looking at the cleric. "But I see something in you that is familiar to me. More than the others. A strength." Her eyes become concerned. "But I sense a hesitancy that keeps visiting you." At that point, she stops talking, her eyes still locked on Dork's.

Even after coming to some conclusion one way or another, when she took her hand back out of the fire, Dork's gaze remained glued upon it even as Mullo spoke her piece. Yet as much as she seemed almost entranced with flexing the digits and studying the damage, without taking taking her eyes of the hand at the conclusion of the Shaman's speech, the construct replied in a nonplussed yet somehow tired voice. "You would not be the first person to see me as an abomination. Nor are you likely to be the last to admit as much, provided... the Red Knight still has a use for me beyond the shores of Lantan."

She then looks up and turned only just enough to regard Mullo. "And for the records, I did not find fault in your judgement. Only in my own, which has become disturbingly frequent of late. Just as I am alien to you, as you are in some ways to me, the same goes for the giant in regards to us both. I was aware of this. Aware that his apparent antagonism was not out of malice, but had been in his own a form of encouragement or an exercise of genuine curiosity. Yet I threatened to drive him away all the same. A useful tool, if not ally in solving the recent giant disruptions that -- if left uncheck, may result in a true catastrophe for the smaller races than his own."

She then bowed and shook her head. "I... am not like you. I was created for a purpose: This very scenario, in fact. But at some point I have become severely damaged beyond just the physical. And this costed not only the life of our previous compatriot, but drove away another. This could not continue. So, I tried to fall back into a more advisory role outside of combat, and a shield within it... But this too seemed to be folly, and you nearly lost your life because of it." She expressed, unable to look up at that point.

"Casualties... They are expected. Accepted. But there is a stark difference between casaulties and unnecessary loss of personnel. The Red Knight, my patron deity and effectively my creator, visited me last night. And she-..." She trailed for a moment and began absently worrying at the symbol on her forehead. "She was so disappointed that my only solace upon further reflection is that she saw fit still to remind me of important lessons and a key to perhaps proceed." She stated, but Mullo would get the sense of their perhaps being more left unspoken by the living construct.

Mullo listens patiently, her gaze steady and accepting. Only when Dork seemed to have said her peace did the wild woman give a small nod. "It is sometimes hard to find our way. Harder still when the way we find leads to unexpected results. I have learned under Uthgar and his father's teaching that the way of gods is not always the way I would choose. Many times, it is hard to understand. Sometimes, it feels unbearable. Your 'compatriot' died in the glory of battle and now dances with his ancestors. And your other who left — perhaps you helped them find their true journey. As for my ... Well, you had nothing to do with what happened to me. The creature was like nothing I have ever seen, and, like you, I sought to act as a shield." A small smile lifts the edges of her wide mouth. "Also like you, I received a message from my creator. He told me I still had work to do. And then I was awake again, covered in that creature's stomach juices and feeling like my skin was on fire, but awake and alive." Talking about the creature has drawn Mullo's fingers to the new baubles hanging from the leather straps adorning her coverings that were carved from the creature's remains. She fiddles with them for a second and then sighs. "I have been a voice in the ear of several strong leaders," she says directly, now sounding like someone trying to talk some sense into someone. "I would be no good without first having faith in myself and accepting my weaknesses along with my own strengths. I'm not sure what your Red Knight created you to be, but I'm sure even a god cannot create a perfect creature. She gave you the tools you need to do your best. It's time for you to stop feeling like a failure. Learn from the past, and use it to guide you in the future. Be what you've been created to be. If you need my help, I'm with you." The shaman turns and walks back toward the sleeping chamber.

Dork listened respectfully in return, though remained for the most part unable or unwilling to meet Mullo's gaze. And while there times even in which a subtle shake of the head could be taken as disagreement at points, words are never forthcoming on the constructs part prior to Mullo's departure from the room. Until the sounds of the Shaman's footsteps grew to quiet to hear, she stayed with her head bowed and hands gradually inching up until she held her head.

"... Why? ... I do not comprehend... I cannot... I am not supposed to... I-I..." Her grip tightens to the point a normal being should feel pain. But she had not so much as muttered a word of complaint, and would eventually squat down still clutching her head, taxing every bit of processing power trying to answer the question. Left to her own devices, it would be several minutes before the hands fall to the wayside as the muttered the words, "I cannot fulfill my purpose... by standing still. I have what I need... and that is enough... It has to." Then with that, she stood up once more, dusted herself off, and marched her way to join the others ready to address them. 

"Dusk Warden Ilezneya. Can you fly up to the other weapons and determine if there are runes upon the other weapons."

Devin awakens from the rest to find Aslan sitting on his chest and staring at him.  "The bigger picture, what does that mean Aslan?  What's the bigger picture? Help me understand." but the Tressym just stares at him until Devin shakes him off and is able to get up.  He sits down out of the way and renews his mind, focusing on making some changes to the magic, preparing for what may come.

He then gets up and casts Goodberry, as he does everyday, to provide sustenance to the others and himself.  He tosses one up to Aslan who quickly flies up and catches it in the air.

He then joins the others as they once again stand before the portal.

"The weapons are the key.  Each giant offers its weapon to the All-Father, who faces the portal.  So here is the things I would like to try."  He then looks around for Harshnag (how does one loose track of a frost giant I don't know).  

"Harshnag, can you help us?  It is good of you to be with us as it will make this much easier as the weapons are too heavy and the runes too high for us to reach.  If you are willing, could you please take the ax of the frost giant and touch it to the statue of the All-Father?  I say the ax, as I think that if I understand giants they do not often intermingle.  It is likely best that you stick with a weapon of your own kind as that is probably safest and least likely to cause adverse effects."

He then watches to see what happens.  If nothing then,

"Could you touch the axe to the frost rune?"

And again if nothing happens.

"Could you please touch the ax to the portal itself?"

If again nothing happens then Devin looks around at the others, his shoulders slumped.  "I have no more ideas.  I was sure the weapons were the key."

"Okey dokey" Harshnag says as he hefts the huge steel axe. He reaches up and touches it to as high a point on the 80 foot tall statue as he can reach - about knee height and nothing happens. He then moves onto the Ise rune once Devin is convinced nothing is actually going to happen.

As Harshnag touches the axe to the Ise rune the glowing mist that had filled the archway transforms into churning thunderclouds lit by flashing but lightning - The sound of rolling thunder fills the temple, loud enough to be heard throughout the complex. "Well bugger me - cut my legs off and call me a hobbit" Harshnag mutters. The party can see another room  beyond the clouds. 

(Clarifying that we've completed our long rest - yes?)  "Finally - progress," the Dusk Warden says when the portal changes. He grasps his shield and weapon and prepares to move through it. "Let's continue this search for answers..."

Silent upon re-entering the sleeping chamber, Mullo's countenance brightens at the display of lightning and the sound of thunder. She reaches up and strokes Haetone's face, giving one of the pegasus's eyes a smile.

(I presume Devin has his break through before D.O.R.K's actual return, so going off from there..)

Arriving eventually wit a bit more pep to her step, D.O.R.K looks almost taken aback by the sight by the changes. She spares a moment to look at the others, before without a word shield is donned as the living construct made to march through the new doorway alongside the others. "Not everything is as it seems." She intoned quietly after having paused briefly at the threshold, then marched on through.

Devin was a bit disappointed when the first act failed to produce anything.  It took a few minutes for him to be really convinced nothing was going to happen.  As the giant reached up and touched the rune his face broke out into a large grin.  He whooped and pumped his fist in the air.

"Alrighty, that is some progress!" he said excitedly.  He is half a step behind D as he moves into the portal, too happy that something worked that he doesn't really consider any possible dangers.  I mean, its a portal right? This is how it should work.

"I'll come along with you two" Harshnag says as he too picks up his equipment and follows Devin and D.O.R.K. into the portal.

And anybody else?

Ilezenya follows the group - he was just waiting to make sure they were all ready to go!

If Harshnag entered, it's clearly a large portal.

Mullo decides to swing up onto Haetone's back. The duo steps forward, following the others through the portal.

Ebonitus looks up from his reveries, "Well if everyone else is going through, I had better follow." he thinks to himself Then having one last glance around the room and collecting his gear, he follows the others through the portal.

The archway is 40 feet wide and 40 feet tall. As the party steps through they can see they are in a hexagonal chamber whose walls rise 50 feet before tapering to a 90-foot-high apex. Standing in each corner of the room is a life-size statue of a giant holding up a heavy, iron lantern with one raised arm. Each type of giant is represented: hill, stone, frost, fire, cloud, and storm. A cold, magical light radiates from each lantern, illuminating a giant corpse lying on the floor beneath a shroud of frost in the middle of the room. The corpse looks like it has been here for some time, preserved by the cold. Next to the body rests a giant, frost-covered morningstar.

Seeing the dead giant doesn't add too much concern to the already alert half-drow, but he is interested in what killed it. Carefully, Ilezenya examines the corpse, looking for wounds or other signs of trauma. Medicine: 17

As Illezenya approaches the corpse and starts to examine it he feels an even colder air - if that is possible - than the surrounding already sub-zero temperature blow across his face and the shadowy figure of what appears to be cloud giant starts to manifest around the corpse.

He will drop into a defensive crouch, ready to fight if needed but waiting to see if this will be a helpful omen...(will take Dodge action if attacked...)

Devin approached the corpse with Ilezenya and as the air grew colder and the form began to materialize he speaks out loud. "Is this the Oracle?"

"Or the spirit of a giant that failed a trial perhaps." Dork suggested aloud, though for the moment hadn't taken on any hostile actions or defense. In fact, her guard seemed relatively down as she strode up to stand beside Ilezenya as well, awaiting for the spook to make the first move. If after a minute of silence however, the construct would have a few choice words in jotun to inquire into..