"Nice move Tisto, we should move on before that creature awakes." says Areus as Tisto manages to put to sleep Kuneros.

Saya moves next to Callisto. "Let's move on, no need to further harm the creature." She keeps an eye on her to make sure she doesn't make any stupid move. If Callisto makes any attempt to cause harm to Kuneros, Saya will grapple her (or kick her with her hoofs, whichever is more effective :-).

Soren nods at Tisto "Good spell."

He warily backs away from the creature, wiping his blade on his cloak before sheathing it.

13

Calisto frowns angrily and Dakun steps forward, axe raised, to slay Kuneros.  But before any of you can react Calisto raises he arm.  "No, it gains us nothing.  We have access to the temple now.  Let's go."

She immediately turns and stalks past the sleeping creature, the minotaur's behind her..  You quickly follow and enter the temple.  Nalke bars the entry door so that when Kuneros awakens he cannot follow.

Moving through the rooms you come to a high-domed room, its roof painted with beautiful pastoral scenes.

Callaphe and Saya, please roll a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw

Saya WIS Save: 17

(Sorry, Saya failed, she actually rolled a 12.)

Areus keeps his weapons at the ready as he follows closely Callisto into the temple. The Akroan scans the area as the group enters the high-domed room (Perception 16) "Be on your guard, we do not know what other creatures or traps may still be within this temple."

Callaphe?

Wisdom Save: 15

While you each take in the images of the high-domed room, its roof painted with beautiful pastoral scenes Saya and Callaphe both find it more interesting.  Callaphe is taken in by the beauty of the images that remind her of Setessa.  She sees thick forests, terraced farms, and buildings that blend so perfectly into the forest that it’s difficult to tell the difference between inside and outside.

Struck by the wonder she gains inspiration by the beauty of the scenes.

Moving through the room you come to the inner sanctum and the statue of Ephara. She looks exactly as she did in living Meletis, and shines with a radiant light. You bask in the light as its warmth dispels the eternal cold of the dead. Where the living statue wore the Ainoe mask, this statue wears the black Elpis piece.

As you enter the room, you see Eftalia enter from a hall on the opposite side. “My friends,” the Champion of Heliod says. “It appears we are here for the same divine purpose! Let me have the mask and I will guide you back to the world of the living.” 

You know Heliod is the radiant god of the sun. According to myth, he ensures that the sun rises every day to provide light and warmth to the world. Every inhabitant of Theros acknowledges his dominant presence, and nearly everyone at least pays lip service to the idea of giving him worship and honor.

Tisto looks the so called Champion of Heliod up and down and then says "if you're the champion of Heliod what are you doing in the Underworld?"

Eftalia grins, "I am here to collect the black mask, just like you. But unlike you I am not doing it for my own selfish reasons, I am here on behalf of the god  Heliod.  Perhaps you have heard of him.  He sent me on this quest.  And I see you have brought me the Ainoe mask as well.  The woman there," She points her spear at Calisto "Can hand it over as well."

Calisto scoffs at this.  "Over your dead body I will have the black fragment to myself.  Move aside."

"If you take one more step Calisto, it just might be" Soren's hand tightens around the hilt of his sword. He slowly starts to edge round the chamber so that Calisto is in between himself and the sun emissary.

Areus moves next to Soren and addresses Eftalia "We too have been tasked by the Gods. Even if we all" the Arkoan gestures towards Soren, Tisto, Saya and Callaphe "have different faiths, we are all oath-bound to Kruphix. We do not seek the black fragment for ourselves."

As Saya enters the domed room, she sees a beautiful pastoral scene. She is moved, but she would rather see a planes, where she can gallop free of worries. Then she sees the statue of Ephara, and she bows slightly to show respect, even though she is not her deity.

Then she see another person enter from the opposite side. (Has Saya met Eftalia?) She is suspicious of this person claiming to be the champion of Heliod, and requesting that she have the mask. She moves next to Calisto to make sure she doesn't do anything that will jeopardize the mission. (If Calisto makes a move on Eftalia, Saya will try to grapple her.) She keeps an eye on this Heliod's Champion, and try to determine if she is the real deal.

Saya Insight: 29

Saya studies the woman and she is clearly the champion of Heliod.   Although having never met her she has seen her before.  This is Eftalia, there can be no doubt.

Eftalia smiles, "We are all champions of the gods it seems.   Heliod has tasked me to bring both masks to him, and he intends to use them to finally diminish, or even destroy, the god Erebos. Clearly Heliod is the more powerful deity.  Heliod's temple stands at the pinnacle of the Street of Gods."

In response to Areus she asks "Then who do you seek them for, if not yourselves?  Who would you give them to?"

At this Calisto spits on the ground and standing tall and proud she responds "I do seek these masks for myself unlike these tools I have used to get this far.  But their usefulness is about to come to an end.  I say one last time, step aside or face my battleaxe." She hefts the axe as a show of force as the three minotaur begin to step out in front of her.

Things your characters would know:

MYTHS OF HELIOD

Many legends about Heliod highlight his mercurial nature, even while acclaiming him as a god of bravery and justice.

Battle with Purphoros. In his desire to establish himself as the leader of the pantheon, Heliod attempted to commission Purphoros to rebuild Nyx in Heliod’s image. Angered by Heliod’s claim to rulership, Purphoros forged the sword Godsend to fight Heliod. As their conflict raged, Purphoros’s sword cut the fabric of Nyx, opening the boundary between the realms of gods and mortals. As a result, the hydra Polukranos fell to the mortal world, but Heliod and Nylea joined forces to bind the hydra in the Nessian Wood. Years later, the hydra broke free of its bonds, and Heliod chose a mortal, Elspeth Tirel, to slay the hydra as his champion—using a spear called Godsend, forged from Purphoros’s sword.

Birth of Erebos. Some myths claim that Heliod was the first of the gods, though most people believe that distinction belongs to Kruphix. These myths also say that when the light of Heliod’s own sun fell on him, Heliod saw his shadow and feared it. He banished the shadow to the land beyond the Rivers That Ring the World, and it became Erebos, god of the dead and ruler of the Underworld.

Erebos is the god of death and the Underworld, lord of all that has ever lived. He presides over the bitterness, envy, and eventual acceptance of those who suffer misfortune. His hoarding of both souls and the treasures the dead carry into the Underworld see him worshiped by those who desire to collect and keep wealth. Although Erebos forbids souls from leaving the Underworld, some escape his clutches. Generally such souls are beneath his notice, but he sometimes sends agents to retrieve those he has particular interest in.

MYTHS OF EREBOS

Erebos appears in many god-stories, often as a villain or a foil to the other gods. The stories told by his followers emphasize his power, the wealth of the Underworld, and the inevitability of death.

A Shadowed World. Heliod’s followers maintain that their god gave rise to Erebos by casting a shadow in the sun’s first light. Followers of Erebos say that this tale is self-refuting. Before there ever was a sun, the entire world stood in shadow, and the shadow was Erebos—elder to Heliod. Only with the first dawning was Erebos’s form diminished enough that Heliod could overpower him, and the god of the dead has never forgiven his upstart brother. The faithful of both Erebos and Heliod viciously argue the details of their gods’ origins, some risking their lives in battle over which of their gods came into being first.

Areus stands his ground as he replies to the champion of Heliod "As for the words of the Oracle of Arixmethes, we are bound by fate and prophecy and the will of the Gods to the masks." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "We seek them so that they are not misused as their power is so great that could put the whole Theros in danger if in they are in the wrong hands." the akroan as he looks at Calisto as he finishes his speech.
"As for Heliod being the more powerful deity, that is a matter beyond my comprehension, I'm a just a mere mortal."

At this point Tisto in his usual irreverent style pipes up and says "in case my learned colleague's words were not clear we are as he so eloquently put it 'we are bound by fate and prophecy and the will of the Gods to the masks' that is in case it was not clear ALL Gods not just one bright spark who thinks - well in fact it probably does - the sun shines out of his arse! So unless you've got proof that ALL the Gods want us to hand over the mask - sorry but it isn't happening!"

"Wait a moment folks, did I hear it right? Heliod intends to destroy Erebos??" Saya looks around her companions. "I don't exactly like the God of the Dead, but don't you guys think that if Heliod were to accomplish that, then everything could be thrown out of balance? I mean, all the Gods exist for a reason, I am sure." She then looks at Eftalia. "You, champion of Heliod. What do you say to that?"

As Saya speaks you recall the the visions you had while in the Nyx

Finally close enough to see through the clouds of sparks,
you reach the ghostly forge to find yourself face to face
with Death. A young death, for certain. Death raw from
suffering, a death not yet numbed to the flood of mortals
that will pass into its gentle care. The figure before you is
a god, a god of mortality defined not by loss, but by the
memory of life. Erebos, god of death and the underworld,
labours over his craft, pouring his magic into the two masks
that lie before him.

The voice of Kruphix whispered in your ear. “Masks forged
from grief, empowered by memory. Erebos mourns. The
masks are powerful tools, and in the wrong hands they will
bring ruin.”

And the words of warning

The voice of Kruphix had whispered in your ear. “The masks
threaten the weave of destiny. They cannot be allowed to
rest in the hands of those who would abuse them.”

"A foe of cosmic ambition,” the voice of Kruphix echoes
from all sides, “will rip open the gates of death.”

And you realize that the warnings of Kruphix were not only for the actions and danger Calisto posed if she gained the masks but also what would happen if Heliod would.  Indeed you realize the gravity of the situation. If Erebos is stripped of his power the gates of the underworld could be opened and returned flood the lands.  The returned, those who return from the Underworld are hollow shells inhabited by grim and purposeless spirits. These Returned are separated from their memories, which become wandering eidolons.  Theros as you know it would cease to exist if the gates of the underworld were not guarded by Erebos.

Eftalia, for her part, seems not to care.  "I serve Heliod, not Erebos.  He is ruler of the gods, and he wants merely for his rightful place to be recognized. He imagines Nyx rebuilt as his personal palace, where all can witness him in his glory. He considers himself a kind and beneficent ruler—a benign autocrat, not a tyrant—and he doesn’t expect abject servility from anyone, god or mortal. He just wants everyone to defer to his will and carry out his orders. He believes that his decisions are always just and right, and that if his sovereignty were properly respected, there would be peace and order in Nyx and the mortal world alike. The god of the dead is a pathetic liar and coward who wallows in self-pity in his exile."