[PFS][Level 3-5] DM Ranginui runs The Midnight Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master Tangaroa

"Not what I would call a comforting thought, having those that die in here become portraits on this wall. On the other hand, it could tell us quite a bit, also. Do any of these look like the Baron's brothers?"

"If no one has the ability to unlock the other door, I suggest we move on to the next one. Looks like there is a door down the way, across the hall."

Chuurock notes that there are precisely two portraits of humans, both look like the portraits of the Boroi brothers seen in the Manor house, excepting they are skinnier, paler and haggard looking.

As Leastrie moves to check the door near the end of the hall, he spies another room. Thin walls break this area into four small rooms, each furnished with cramped beds. A central area remains open save for a crooked table and mismatched chairs. Three fletchlings sit staring at the table, which has a fine layer of dust. One of them blankly looks up at the visitors.

"Huh, new prisoners" it says in a dull, flat tone.

"I suppose you could say that, though I'm used to fate's shackles." She pauses before continuing, allowing for interjection, "So, what are you fine gents doing here?"

"What are we doing here, Jerda?" one says in a drone.

"Paying for our crimes Merys" replies a second, equally bored.

A third chimes in. "I think we did that awhile ago. Now we're just... waiting, I guess. Passing time. Making stories; sometimes games. Sometimes we sit for a bit, or sleep. Not a lot, really."

The first one addresses the third, ignoring the Pathfinders presence. "Lucoth what do you think these ones did? They do not look like those two noblemen the came through about... well, whenever it was they came through."

"I do not know Merys. I suppose they killed someone, or maybe made them angry."

The turn back to you, looking with indifferent stares.

"Does anyone know what their....detachment stems from?" Addressing the Kayal, Leastrie says. "When were the two nobles here? What did they do when they were here and do you know where they went?"

The one identified as Jerda responds. "The nobles were here awhile ago; maybe a few days? Weeks? I could not say, really. They went to live with the Updwellers, and I have not seem them since."

Merys breaks in. "Aye, it's nicer upstairs; of course, we are not allowed to go up there anymore. Nicasor said that... he said that... well, he is mad at us." Unable to complete his thought, he goes silent again.

"Upstairs? Who is he, the one who is mad?"

Lucoth answers this time. "Uh, Nicasor is mad at us for doing... well, we cannot remember what now. It definitely must of been bad at the time. He used to be our leader, Nicasor, back when we were on the Outside. During the revolution. I guess he thinks he still is; no use arguing with him, or anyone, really."

Jerda chimes in. "Revolution! Curse that thing! Such a waste of my life." He lays his head down on the table and sighs. "The only folks that care about the revolution anymore are him and Elenuta, and she is just plain crazy."

Guilford pipes up at the back of the group.

"Elenuta? I've not heard of her before. Who is, or was, she?"

Jerda replies in a bored way. "She was one of the Kayal who really wanted the revolution in the beginning; one of Nicasor's lieutenants. The Heart likes to torment her by letting her plan and plan and plan her vengeance; it gives her maps and makes weapons for her. Then it lets her out of her room... but only long enough for her to get her hopes up, then it drags her back."

"The Heart? What do you mean by it? Who or what is it? Is it located here inside the mirror? " inquires Shandor eagerly.

Merys replies, looking as though the answer is obvious. "The Heart of the Mirror. It is the mirror. I suppose you could find it in the center, if you were mad enough; the Heart abides no visitors. The Midnight Lord knows Nicasor spilled enough Kayal blood trying to destroy the cursed thing." He starts tracing meaningless patterns in the dust of the table.

"I believe that these poor souls have been overtaken by the unending sameness of their imprisonment. The revolution was not recent by our count, and yet the leaders are still alive in here. How many years could you stare at these unchanging walls, with only the same people as companions, before you gave up hope?" He turns back to the lost "Know that if we succeed at our goal, your imprisonment will be at an end. IF."

Jerda mulls over the words. "Aye, very kind of you strangers. Very admirable, indeed. I wish you well; when the Heart kills you, I'll make sure to say a few words at your grave when I go down below to visit my wife." He holds up his left hand and meditatively looks over a few missing pieces from the digits on his left hand.

Baldwyn shakes his head. "Just because you can't do anything to end this madness doesn't mean we can't." Morals or not, this is a challenge that must be met.

"I agree, this must end. You mentioned the Heart was at the center of this complex. Any clue as to where it is exactly?"

The Kayal seem to lose interest in the new visitors, and fall quiet again, reluctant to answer more questions.

The Pathfinders resume their intended destination: the door at the end of the hall. Once opened, the room appears to be a keyroom with thousands of keys scattered in piles about the floor. To search for a given key here might take hours upon hours. A faint glow of magic leads the magically-minded to find one key that radiates a moderate aura of transmutation.

Guilford takes a look at the magical key, then hands it to Shandor after he can't make out its use.

Shandor attempts to activate the key in a more experimental manner.

UMD: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Let me know if you want to search the pile of mundane keys. Finding a particular key for a given locked door is a daunting and time consuming task (hours) Thus far, you've encountered one locked door.

"The magical key is a chime of opening. If we are patient and cautious, we should be able to use it to bypass locked doors without needing to find the "right" key."

"Capital, Chuurock, capital! I certainly have no objections to patience or caution. At least we won't need to spend the rest of our lives digging around this room."

A quick exploration of the dark wraparound hallway reveals five locked doors, including the one already passed. One door appears to have a better lock then the others. The east-most door on the map. The magic of the chime of opening will be strained in the attempt to open that door; the rest of the doors have merely average locks.

No stairs are to be found, although conversations with the Fetclings indicate the room mirroring the portrait room contained the stairs. Eastern room of central structure. Talking can be heard from behind the door with the good lock, the other rooms prove silent when Leastrie listens at them.

Choose and roll for the chime!

Baldwyn looks at the rest of the group. "Should we clear this place out or head straight to the heart of the beast?"

Shandor replies without hesitation "We should slay the underlings first, find Nicasor, then destroy the heart. There's a good chance that the sheer will attack us if we go for the heart directly, hence we stand a better chance if we deal with them separately. "

"Or the Heart might know what the status of its underlings are and may use them at a system to prepared itself. That said, each plan has merit, so I'm fine with either."

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Let's finish down here. We might find something to aid us."

The cold eats at the Pathfinders fingertips and ears as they solemnly contemplate their course of action.

So, do did you want to backtrack to the previous door as a start. Someone give me a roll on the chime at +11

The door vibrates strongly, on the edge of opening, but the chimes power falls just short as Shandor motions at the door with it.

Baldwyn looks from the door to Shandor. "Is it broken?"

"May have to just do it the old-fashioned way instead."

"By all means, this door is yours. As well as the chime if you want to use it." says Shandor, a bit disgruntled by his failure.

In his frustration Shandor adds his own powerful voice to the chime's vibration. The door's lock gently clicks and the door opens very slightly.

I moved your group up to the room in question.

After Leastrie performs his cautious routine at the door, he opens to find a room full of broken things: mannequins, grandfather clocks, musical instruments, and so on, all slowly falling to pieces. They have been carefully arranged to create the appearance of a lived-in room, even though a cursory glance shows that no one could possibly use these things.

Baldwyn cocks an eye, looking towards his mates. "Didn't we hear voices from back here?"

He looks around the room, looking for someone hiding within.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"We know you're here! Come out! And you may not be harmed."

The voices were from the room on the opposite side.

Ah, I see. I read "Talking can be heard from behind the door with the good lock"

For good measure, Shandor casts a divination spell to make sure that nothing is magical in this room. Casting detect magic.

"THIS door was locked? Either people are extremely bored, or there's something hidden in here."

Every object and surface in the room radiates a low aura of illusion and shadow magic; Shandor lacks the level of arcane knowledge necessary to discriminate lesser auras among these stronger ones.

Leastrie and Guilford, however, spy a silver raven lying in the far corner with their mundane senses; it looks to be of some value.

Is Chuurock's +9 Spellcraft (4 ranks) enough to tell the difference?

Auras are K(arcana), by my understanding. Anyone who has the skill and detect magic can make a roll, if they wish (I made one for Shandor in conjunction with his detect magic.) You can make a spellcraft for the item, once you secure it.

Guilford activates Detect Magic and tries to figure things out too.

Heh. I had to ask about a skill the character has . . .. I freely admit to NOT spending the time to learn the finer points of the knowledge skills and item location/identification.

"Hmmm...there is some kinds of transmutation magic at work here. I've some familiarity due to specializing in this type of magic, but the spell is beyond my own level of power. In any event, things in this room are not what they appear to be. Illusion to hide its nature, transmutation to alter its physical structure, perhaps? I'm really not sure how we should proceed."