While Yazi and Paige talk, Hajar's light on Tempest goes out and he has to renew it.
Are we moving on to the second set of doors or whatever lay on the other side of the circle?
As you round the bend clockwise the corridor inexplicably narrows to make it difficult for even a slender human to pass. The beetles continue to scurry away from Hajar's light source. Dust on the ground shows that no one has squeezed past here in a long, long time.
Hajar leads the party around the dome until they arrive at the second set of doors
He waits for Yazi to check the doors.
After Yazi sashays by and searches the doors, Hajar attempts to open them
Paige does not like tight spaces. She stays close to Tempest's light.
Staying near the light Khayal tries to remain mindful of the shadows he casts. He wishes for open battle, these halls hold easy opportunity for ambush and that worries him.
Going counterclockwise to the southern end of the circle, the adventurers see another set of double doors, one leading in, one leading out. The doors leading out, when Hajar tries them, are locked.
No traps, but there's enough rust on those hinges to serve as an alarm to most people nearby when the doors open and close.
There is enough sand on the floor, however, to indicate that this is a major thoroughfare for several large four-legged animals and gnolls.
The paw prints lead counter-clockwise.
Hmm. Decisions. Two sets of doors, one leading in and one leading out. We should press onward to the inner doors.
Paige tries the ones leading in. She puts her foot up on the post and tugs hard bugs-bunny style.
Drat. Can someone please help me?
I bet there is a red-velvet spiral staircase of doom leading down into the bowels of oblivion in there...
Can't think of anyone I would rather go in there with than youz guyz.
Bartan pulls out a harrow card and does his thing with his told again, but the card almost begins to disintegrate when it touches the lock.
"My friends, I will not be able to unlock this for it would seem."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Bartan shrugs, pulls out a second card and says "I suppose I will try again."
The lock stays stubbornly shut.
Bartan looks at the lock with frustration in his eyes. "I could almost feel it click. That's it, we'll let fate decide this one."
Bartan concentrates, saying a prayer to Lady Irez. He then shuffles his heirloom harrow deck and draws a card from it.
=> The Peacock (True Neutral, Dexterity)
"Apparently, Lady Irez really wants me to pick this lock." He pulls out another expendable harrow card to furnish into lockpicks.
=> The Tyrant (Lawful Evil, Charisma)
=> The Empty Throne (Lawful Good, Charisma)
The lock remains unimpressed.
Forget that door. Let's move on. to the other doors!
Khayal watches patiently before thinking for a minute and then turns to Yazi with a strait face, You say you make noises like the door, is that because you are rusty?
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At Khayal's question Yazi just narrows her eyes in a scowl. "You guys remember that day just a little bit after we retook Kelmerane, where Dealer had a shiner and he was carrying me everywhere cause I was angry and couldn't walk? You want to find out for yourself? Go ahead and shove all of yourself into Shirin without warning her and without lube. See what sounds she makes then." As she talks she keeps switching her glare from Khayal to Bartan.
Following the trail of sandy pawprints, you come to a wide staircase leading down into the earth. Going down, you descend into a chamber just as large as the Great Dome above it.
[oov] Here we go![/ooc]
Hajar isn't good at being silent, or seeing things...
Khayal does nothing but raise an eyebrow, it seems he hit a nerve. No good will come from pressing on it.
No question about it
The stone stairs open into a large area, a hard-packed sand floor stretching more than 100 feet. In the center of the large chamber are five dens of scattered bones and matted fur. Three of the furs are occupied by snoring oversized hyenas. To the southwest another set of stone stairs goes further down. To the north, a crude wooden barricade has been erected over the mouth of a tunnel, while to the east a larger path through the mounds of sediment leads into a large, dark hall. The southern wall appears to have partially collapsed, but glimpses of another large space can be had through gaps in the fallen masonry.
Three canine noses perk up simultaneously, and an instant later triple sets of growling begin.
The stone stairs open into a large area, a hard-packed sand floor stretching more than 100 feet. In the center of the large chamber are five dens of scattered bones and matted fur. To the southwest another set of stone stairs goes further down. The southern wall appears to have partially collapsed, but glimpses of another large space can be had through gaps in the fallen masonry.
As Hajar, Paige, and Bartan clumsily go down the stone steps, the paladin's metal-shod shoes ringing on the granite, the light from Tempest shows a large area with a hard-packed sand floor stretching more than 100 feet. Shadows play over the interior as the light source dances up and down, but the smell of gnoll and animal is nauseously strong here.
Multiple growls from large canine-like sources come from the middle of the room, where indistinct shapes are rising from the floor, and moving.
SURPRISE ROUND
Kukris at the ready Khayal moves down the stairs toward the dens on the ground.
Three dire hyenas lunge out of the darkness, surprisingly fast for their bulk. They attack the first person down the stairs - Hajar.
As the animals crowd the bottom of the stairs, the third rises up on his hind legs, the way hyenas do, and manages to get a good bite on Hajar's bad leg.
The heavily injured dire hyena yips in pain.
ROUND ONE
Hajar sidles away from the base of the stairs to allow his allies to move down. He prays for Healing from Sarenrae and strikes out at the Hyena closest to him.
"Take this, creature!"
Bartan pulls a harrow card and casts snowball, then uses a Move action to calm himself, finally tossing the card at the hyena that Yazi hit (the -20 one).
=> The Avalanche (Lawful Evil, Dexterity)
plus plus Fort save DC 13 or staggered for 1 round
As the card flies toward the hyena, it becomes a snowball in the air, but then a rumbling seems to come from the card and the snow spreads out into a full-on Avalanche, engulfing the creature!
Khayal takes a couple swings at the beast by the bottom of the stairs, trying to nick it right in the jugular.
Khayal does not manage to strike the vein he was looking for but did seem to at least hit flesh.