"So where do you fellas sell your catch? Where do you live? Out here in the swamp? Now you would not want to try and lie to a wizard now, would you? We have spells that can tell when a man is lying or not! See this ball of light? Now if I tell a lie it will change colour...like so..the sky is green...see it turned red. Now if I tell a truth...I really hate those biting fish..now it is green. So then, would you like to tell us again why you are out here?"
Alistair moves the ball of light towards the two men...it swirls with green and red light....
Charisma-based skill:
Advantage (if allowed):
They are lying. Koralyn states flatly. Fishermen do not arm themselves with longbows. They are quite expensive after all, and they both have one. The boats and even their paddles are uniform and made by the same maker, like they were issued. What little fishing gear they have with them is in poor shape and there is no sign of any fishing. Any true fishermen would have kept their nets mended. And there are paddles for 8 more men. Those men have gone into the hill I think. Koralyn watches both men as she states her list of "facts". After a pause she adds Perhaps we should throw this one into the water and see if he can catch any fish.
Koralyn's inferences aren't entirely supported by logic -- although expensive, longbows are not uncommon tools of professional hunters, or anyone who would venture this far into the swamps. And the uniform make of the canoes could simply indicate that they were obtained from the same source, and supplied with paddles as standard equipment.
Still, Rolen doesn't trust them. He can't put his finger on anything specific, but both strike him as low men -- the sort he's spent considerable time with himself, doing unsavory work. Whether or not they're here to fish, he doesn't believe that's all they're up to.
Griff spits, unfazed by Alistair's showmanship.
"I've seen hedge wizard's tricks before. If you want to rob us, rob us, but enough with the threats. Like I said, we come out here to fish -- just got here this morning, and haven't got the gear all sorted. Got a deal on them nets from an old man what lives on the edge of the swamps up north. Figured we'd take our haul back the same way, then west to Orlane or east to one of the little villages in the Gran March."
Though Griff remains defiant, Koralyn's threat has an effect on Karl, who immediately breaks down into a blubbering mess, pawing at the elf's ankles.
"Please don't kill me! I never hurt no one! We haven't done nothing here! I don't want to die!"
Then tell me where the rest of the men are? Koralyn says flatly.
Rolen draws a dagger smoothly and approaches the blubbering fool, Karl, yanking his head back by the hair and exposing his throat. He levels a grim as death stare at Griff.
Griff, Karl dies first, then you. Now tell us where the others are. I do not have the patience of my fiends.
Griff's eyes go wide, then he sighs.
"There are no others. I didn't take you for murderers, but if you're gonna be cutting throats, I guess you'll have to start cutting."
Karl sobs hysterically, while hollering as loudly as he can.
"Tell 'em! Tell 'em, Griff! Tell 'em there's no one here! Just us! Tell 'em I don't know nothing!"
Rolen eyes each of his companions in turn as he places the dagger to Karl's throat.
Kierdan looks to Rolen and holds out his hand Hold your blade, my friend, for a moment.
He turns to Griff and says, As I said before, I am a follower of Pelor. I am not here to murder innocents or see the throats of simple fishermen slit. I am here to see that the righteous rays of the Sun Father illuminate the corruption in this swamp and eradicate it. I have seen much horror and tragedy in Geoff and the Oytwood, and my days as a long-suffering village priest are long gone. I want to believe you, but, after all we have seen, it is hard for us to believe that you two are all alone out here, surrounded by lizard men and other monstrosities. Perhaps if you could share some of you experiences here with us, that would be helpful. Maybe you could tell us which village you come from and the name of your fathers. Tell us something, lad, help us underdstand you.
Rolen pulls the dagger away, and shoves Karl's head forward. He steps away, twirling the dagger and continues his pacing back and forth just behind Kierdan, who now has the floor with these idiots.
"Bah, lets not waste any more time on these two. They can stay tied up for the time being...at least until we discover how to enter this hill. What do you say?"
Agree. Their gear and number of canoes is sure suspicious, but I say its not enough to convict them. They may just be poor fishermen.
Rolen motions the others close, out of earshot of the captives.
Let's secure them a little better and leave them here, as Alistair suggests. I can set to work with my tools of the trade on this Western, copper-colored door, if ya like.
Agreed.
Turning to the "fishermen" Koralyn explains. We do not like your story. We do not like that you have 5 boats and 10 ores and are better armed with weapons than fishing gear. But we are not murderers. It may be that you are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we cannot risk releasing you just yet. Too much is at stake.
Koralyn will begin to secure the prisoners better, placing then each in a separate tent.
Griff and Karl are hog-tied, their bonds then secured to hooks set into the walls of separate huts. Judging the men restrained as well as possible, the group sets out for the west side of the island again.
The copper door is as you left it, massive and seemingly formed of layered sheets of hammered metal, half a foot a thick. An intricate knotted pattern is etched into the face, lines overlapping and curling over themselves again. The faint smell of ozone or blood is in the air.
The doors appear to be trapped, enchanted through some means to carry a deadly electrical current -- anyone who touches them runs the risk of shock. Strangely, the charge appears to be diminished, as if a regulator somehow was limiting the voltage. With some time, a few nails and some wire, Rolen thinks he could rig up an apparatus to ground the charge, allowing him to work on the lock in relative safety.
Rolen sets to work on the door, trying to ground any possiblE charge from the trapped door with a thin wire.
Then he attempts to pick the lock.
Damnit... , mutters Rolen. After successfully disabling the trap, he tries to pick the lock again.
As Rolan works, Alistair examines the patters on the door to see if there is any significance to them beyond decoration...and maybe if the decoration can tell him anything about who might have crafted them.
History:
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Arcane:
The lock proves frustingly complex, and Rolen's initial attempt is met with failure. On the second try he snaps a filament-covered rod -- apparently related to the electrical trap he'd bypassed earlier -- that immediately begins sparking, creating a new danger.
Electing to make a third attempt, the elf is able to hold back the sparking rod with a cloth-wrapped stick and quickly disengage the remainder of the lock mechanism. Dust puffs out as the doors creak open, and the crackle of electricity fades as the trap shuts off.
Beyond the copper doors, a passageway of crudely-worked stone winds down into the darkened depths.
You see that a heavy iron portcullis or door of some kind is set into the ceiling of the passageway, about a yard from the copper door. The bottom is covered with rusty stalactites that have been covered in dust or paint to blend into the surrounding rock.
Rolen puts up a fist before anyoneE progresses. He points up to what he believes to be a trap recessed into the ceiling 1 yard in from the entrance.
Looks like another trap. Let me see what I can do with this one.
Standing on Dragomir's shoulders, Rolen is able to wedge a length of copper rod from the main door into the faux stone above, preventing the portcullis from falling when the trigger -- likely somewhere below -- is tripped.
With that taken care of, the party carefully proceeds down the passageway. Cut from raw stone, the tunnel is about 10 feet in diameter and descends at a shallow angle -- perhaps 10 feet down for every 30 feet across. The tunnel curves back on itself after about 60 feet, then again 60 feet after that.
About 30 feet past the second turn, the crudely-carved tunnel opens into a large square chamber, perhaps 60 feet on each side, the floor and walls tiled with pale marble.
Eight columns of midnight stone circle the room, two near each corner. An iron spike is driven into each of the columns. Alabaster masks hang from five of the columns. Three more masks lie on the floor.
As you draw closer, you see that the masks are carved with distinct expressions, and a word is carved into the brow of each one.
The three masks on the floor bear the words: happiness, sadness and serenity.
The five hanging from the spikes include: disturbance, courage, fear, greed and generosity.
Joy - a puzzle, Dragomir laments.
Ok, you smart folks need to get on this one. It looks like it could be a puzzle, of sorts. I will search around for any other traps.
Koralyn looks for any signs of recent passage as the group enters the tunnel. Knowing that she is not good at this skill she asks for help. Can anyone see any tracks or signs of recent passage?
Those masks, they all depict emotions. Koralyn points out. 4 positive and 4 negative. I wonder why those three are on the floor? It like they have been discarded.
"Perhaps the chamber has not be visited in some time and they simply fell? I think we should decide if any magic resides in this chamber before we start to touch anything."
That said, Alistair begins the ritual to detect magical auras.
"Eight pillars, eight masks. It looks like four pairs of opposing emotions. Perhaps place them in a way where opposites face each other?"
Or the opposites with each other in every corner holding two pillars? Just a guess...
Rolen, I think you may be on to something with two opposing masks in each corner. Kierdan looks over to Alistair to see how his ritual is going. In any case, we should what for Alistair to complete his ritual.
Kierdan looks at the masks and tries to determine if the order the masks are currently in means anything.
Rolen sees no obvious sign of traps or other exits as the group inches into the room containing the masks. A few moments later, Alistair completes his ritual. Eldritch auras spring into view, illuminating each of the eight masks, which bear various colors indicating transformative, mind-affecting or divinitory magics.
Neither the black columns nor the iron spikes upon which the masks hang detect as enchanted, however, and no other auras are visible within the room -- indicating the puzzle, if there is one, is contained to the masks themselves.
The group spreads out to examine the masks more carefully, but notices nothing that might serve as a clue -- the masks don't seem to be arranged in any particular order.
Bending down to examine one of the fallen mask, Eldramin puts his hand on the marble tile -- and feels a click. A second later, green mist begins to spray from a dozen holes in the floor, at a rate likely to fill the chamber within a minute.
As the gas spews forth, you notice it is being drawn into the tunnel leading to the surface rather quickly -- perhaps the door Rolen disabled was meant to seal it in?
Hey!! I notice the gas is being drawn into the tunnel leading to the surface rather quickly -- perhaps the door Rolen disabled was meant to seal it in?
Con:
Int:
"I think.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Alistair unfortunately, while looking at one of the fallen masks, was hit directly with the gas and had no time to try and hold his breath.
He is out cold.
Rolen quickly takes out his tools and attempts to disable the pressure plate driven trap.
What gas?
Kierdan, seeing Rolen as the best chance to end the threat from the gas, asks the Sun Father to divinely guide the elf's hands as he seeks to disable the trap.
Eldramin barely maintains consciousness and will aid anyone in any way he can.
Rolen isn't able to disable the gas trap altogether, but by moving quickly he is able to plug about half the holes with wads of cloth torn from his cloak. The remaining gas is a thin cloud that drifts in tatters up the tunnel, toward open air.
Dragging Alistair's body to a corner, the group is able to avoid further exposure. After a few slaps, the wizard's eyes open, although the gas has left him with a splitting headache.
Koralyn considers the gas trap's trigger. I am not sure what set the trap off. Was it touching the floor? she asks. Is it safe to examine the masts now?
With the trap neutralized and Alistair recovering, you turn your attention to the enchanted masks.
As the only sources of enchantment in the room, they seem the most likely key to whatever lies beyond. Judging from the auras Alistair detected earlier, the masks must be donned for their magic to trigger.
As you review the words carved on the masks -- happiness, sadness and serenity, disturbance, courage, fear, greed and generosity -- you are reminded of the rhyme (or rather, riddle) that you found earlier carved on the obelisk in the swamp:
The gold you give repays in kind. Give well when asked, and safety find.
Desire for gold may secrets show, But giving stills the fatal blow.
Those crossing deeps to gain the ground, May fall as biting fear is found.
One's days can ne'er be forged anew, But magic may give great their due.
Not all of it would seem to apply to this room, but perhaps a piece of it refers to the puzzle posed here?
No worries on the trap, Lady. It is safe to proceed. I have handled it.
"Well that was unpleasant! I need to rest for a few moments...if you do not mind."
Alistair stands off to one side, clearing his lungs of the noxious vapors before carrying on.
Koralyn recalling the words on the obelisk found earlier notes Those words could be relating to at least some of these masks. Both Generosity and Greed seem to be good, at least in the short term. And fear seems to be bad. She will try on first the generosity mask and then, then depending on results the greed mask.
Koralyn raises the generosity mask to her eyes and slips the cord over her head. Instantly the air seems to clear, as the last traces of the gas seem to disappear from the room. The idea forms in her mind that she could activate or disable the trap with a thought, if need be, and that such command might extend to other defenses within the tomb.
As she slips the mask off again, she notes that whatever resistance it granted against the gas appears to remain, although the sense that she could command the trap has gone.
Next, Koralyn dons greed mask. At first there seems to be no effect, but as she turns, glancing around the room, she notices several glowing lines along the wall on the south end of the room, just behind the easternmost pillar. Drawing closer, she sees that the aura outlines the edges of a cleverly concealed doorway, which swings open with a push to reveal a flight of steps leading down into the darkness.
happiness, sadness and serenity, disturbance, courage, fear, greed and generosity
The gold you give repays in kind. Give well when asked, and safety find.
Desire for gold may secrets show, But giving stills the fatal blow.
Those crossing deeps to gain the ground, May fall as biting fear is found.
One's days can ne'er be forged anew, But magic may give great their due.
just guessing here