The gates opened effortlessly before Bree, and as the half-elf stepped through the threshold, she could feel as she passed a magical field, one that no doubt recognized the 'charge' she now carried from the pool's magic... thus she could pass unharmed. Hunter could also step through without any danger and felt the tingle and buzz of magic around her, but not being proficient in the arts couldn't quite place the effect as well as the sorceress did. Enough to say, they both passed this stage of the test. It was unknown if it was even possible to fail a soulsearching like this, but there could have been many outcomes likely... it was like the path was testing their personalities and hearts, as it was meant to make initiates question their choices and reevaluate their path.<br/>Those who accepted their mistakes even in hindsight were rewarded, made wiser by the experience and allowed to continue on their way to the priesthood. For those who held regret or wanted to change the past and who they were at the present, the path offered advice and a possibility to find out who they really wanted to be.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Moving between floors</div><div class="spoiler_body">Make another stealth roll, just like before when you move through t he secret passages in the tower walls between floors. At this level you could still be noticed and thus movement can raise the alertness of enemy troops.</div></div><br/>After a few minutes of climbing stairs and sneaking past corridors the two got to another chamber, located just above and built very similar to the one they've just left. The only exception was that the art seemed more contemporary, and paying enough attention, the girls might have even recognized a battle or two they've seen in the murals.<br/>Additionally, there was a third gate located to their right, a sealed doorway led to the rest of floor 3, which according to their information was a library and quite possibly contained a number of magical scrolls and tomes of power, perhaps even other devices that could be helpful. With a quick glance, Bremorel's spellcraft told her that this second gate had a less potent ward than the rest of the path. While the doors to advance them directly were beyond their means to crack and they had to undertake the trials, if they opened one of these doors with an improvised feat of spellcraft and exited the path, they could have taken the less direct path through the tower. At higher floors this likely meant less obstructions and the chance to find supplies, but there was still the chance of a hostile encounter...<br/>On the other hand, remaining on the path they'd have to take the coiling hallways and stop at every level to complete a trial before being able to find the stairs up, taking minutes to complete.<br/>Either way there was quite a lot of risk involved, and it was within Bree's power to open the the sealed gate to the library, though she guessed that Aleria being a knowledgeable wizard would have a much easier time with the ward.<br/><br/>Approaching the gates leading to the next floor, there was another message whispered by the hallowed walls of the chamber:<br/>"Gaze within the pool Pilgrim, and see where your path has taken not yourself, but others it touched. Accept your part in their fate or deny responsibility - you reflected on your choices but live in the present. Can you face the future with an unwavering heart?"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Hall of Bonds</div><div class="spoiler_body">The gate leading to the stairs upward is once again, warded with magic: it will repel and damage (1d4 electricity) anyone trying to force their way through without having undergone the Trial of Bonds. You can take the trial by kneeling at the pool and concentrating on the reflection the water casts for one minute, or you can try to dispel the ward on the gate (spellcraft DC 30, failure deals 1d4 electricity damage).<br/><br/>The gate connecting the chamber to the rest of the level has a somewhat similar but slightly less potent ward: it does only 1 point of damage when it is tripped, and the initial spellcraft DC is 15. However, there is a second component of it, a test of mind that takes the form of number puzzle that you need to solve for your characters to dispel the ward successfully (even if they made the spellcraft check).<br/>Once opened this gate cannot be sealed again without casting the ward anew, which is likely only in the power of the leaders of clerigy here.<br/><br/>The way downstairs remains open and can be taken at any time, though it takes time and stealth checks to navigate the secret passage.</div></div>