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In a concentrating tone, Mel replies to Valik, "a secret door for absent minded folk. I believe this inscription here is a clue on how to open it. Such a clue should be obvious to anyone the creator wanted to pass through and meaningless to everyone else. My scroll let me read the Varesian words, but their meaning escapes me." he finishes with a sigh, crumpling the remnants of the used scroll.
"Have a look. Does that riddle mean anything to you or is the figure familiar? "
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Ylandria responds to Quiella's question, "It's not all that large down there from what I'm told, you should be able to find them pretty quick."
Undoubtedly the easiest way to open the door is to figure out the riddle and use that knowledge to open it.
Failing that, an attempt can probably be made to disable the locking mechanism like any other door, although if magic is being utilized to lock it then that may be more difficult than normal.
On the other hand, if the way to open the door is magical, then perhaps a Use Magic Device check might work.
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"The wrath of man..." Quiella tries to smash down the door with her polearm. If that doesn't work, she attempts to fiddle with it as a magic device.
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Grab a guidance from a cleric if we have it available. plus 1 more with guidance
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Apparently I never bought a scroll of knock. If the thing is magical, would identify tell me how to open it?
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Both Quiella and Melufiuos take a crack at the stele in an attempt for force it open, but neither attempts works. After a couple of minutes of trying, however, Quiella finally tricks it into opening.
As the passage opens, Ylandria excuses herself with, "Some of our gang are likely down there. If they are, they might not’ve been able to get out, with this door in the way. I’ll keep it open so you can send them up."
Looking past the door, you see a dark, damp stairway that leads down to the south, slowly curving westward as it descends. Its walls are reinforced with wooden supports, and the western wall is set with empty alcoves, each several inches deep, suitable for displaying religious icons or similar small relics.
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Mel pops a light stick and tosses it to Valik, then he activates his wayfinder for light.
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At the bottom of the stairs, the group finds a sturdy 10-foot-by-40-foot stone chamber that appears less damaged by the wet conditions than the damper areas of the crypt, and no supports are positioned here to hold the roof up. Eighteen standing crypts are set into the walls here. A short passage to the southeast leads to a wooden door.
A quick search of the room reveals the crypt lids are merely carved into the wall and conceal no space behind. Several indistinct names are inscribed upon each “lid.”
You realized this is this an effigy crypt, a memorial for long-dead sailors whose bodies were disposed of or lost at sea.
No traps are found on the wooden door to the east.
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Mel hits himself with his wand of shield and sighs sarcastically, "Lovely place". "Gotta find them sooner or later. Let's keep moving"
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After a brief examination of the crypt, the party moves through the eastern door and onto the next area. This massive room’s most striking feature is its thirty-foot-high vaulted ceiling, decorated with faded frescoes of storm clouds. Motes of flickering light occasionally flash into being within the painted thunderheads, giving the imperfect impression of watching a distant storm.
Centered on the north wall of the chamber is a massive sculpture of a wrathful feminine face, mouth open in a silent roar. The sculpted curls of her wild hair seamlessly merge with the painted storm clouds above, creating the impression that the howling face emerges from a storm-filled sky.
On the room’s south side is a similarly positioned face, resembling an ancient, bearded man. From between his defiantly clenched teeth issues a trickle of murky fluid, which runs down the knotted coils of his beard to pool onto the stone floor, which has been cut to resemble a fanciful variety of coastlines and islands, each raised an inch above the rest of the stone surface.
The fluid pouring onto the floor fills the low-lying areas between these “islands,” which function as eccentrically positioned steppingstones across the center of the room. The water and islands create another illusion—that of looking out across a great reflective seascape from the peak of an incredibly high mountain.
The grandeur of the room is somewhat undone by the two makeshift worktables positioned in its center, surrounded by benches and stools. The worktables are littered with a variety of small objects, statues, bits of pottery, and assorted relics. On the east side of the room, a split staircase leads to a wide platform ten feet above the floor, where a similarly cluttered worktable stands. Sturdy wooden doors are set into the east and west walls.
Standing around the tables are six sallow youths dressed in Twincandles colors who are all working silently with soft brushes to clean and sort the bits of ephemera placed before them. Standing on the platform on the east side of the room are two rough looking men holding crossbows. They immediately notice the strangers at the door. One of the crossbowmen shouts out a strange word, and an arc of electricity hits each of the island-like stepping stones, while water pours of the mouth of the female's face, forming a small water elemental. Both men on the eastern platform then fire bolts at Quiella, but the projectiles bounce off her armor.
Initiative (Round 1)
2 Crossbowmen
Moadis <= Up
Valik <= Up
Quiella <= Up
Melufiuos <= Up
Ophelia <= Up
Halkale <= Up
Youths
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Mel moves into the room and fires his worthless wand of cause fear at the weakest looking crossbowman.
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Valik moves past the youths around the table. Appearing shocked and afraid, none of the young people cause the monk any trouble as he traverses the room.
Moadis follows Valik across the room, polearm ready.
Ophelia also enters the strange room and casts Bless on the party, granting each Pathfinder a little bit of Pharasma's favor.
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Mel gets confused and attempts to use his useless wand instead of an arrow. :)
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Melufiuos' arrow flies past his target's head, and the man smirks at him.
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Quiella moves toward the elemental, drawing hey greatsword, and then slashes at it.
for
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Quiella moves into the room and slays the water elemental with one powerful blow.
Halkale advances to the door and fires an arrow at the southern crossbowman. Striking the enemy in the center of the chest, he doesn't look long for this world.
The young workers in the center of the room begin to panic, with all of them attempting to move under the tables and cowering.
The crossbowman in the north quickly reloads and fires at Moadis, while the one in the south fires at Valik. Their shots both miss. The injured one in the south moves back 5 feet.
Lighting bolts then rain down from the ceiling, hitting the stepping stones shaped like islands on the ground floor. Thankfully, no one is standing on them.
Initiative (Round 2)
2 Crossbowmen
Moadis <= Up
Valik <= Up
Quiella <= Up
Melufiuos <= Up
Ophelia <= Up
Halkale <= Up
Youths
When Moadis finishes off the southern crossbowman with his lucerne hammer, Valik moves into melee range with the remaining guard on the platform.
Quiella and Ophelia move in close to the action, while Melufiuos and Halkale fire at the last enemy. With both arrows finding a place his torso, the other enemy also falls.
Although the lightning continues to hit the steppingstones for a few more rounds, it's obvious the most serious threat is over.
On the bodies of the crossbowmen, you find 2 smokesticks, 2 mwk chain shirts, 2 mwk light crossbows with 16 bolts, 2 short swords, 2 everburning torchs, 2 sets of thieves’ tools, and 46 gp.
Sitting on the tables, you see a number of archaeological finds, art objects, and many other valuables including a set of white jade figurines, an ancient bronze sacrificial dagger studded with chunks of roughly cut obsidian, well-preserved Taldan tapestries, and several darkwood Mwangi masks. Casting Detect Magic on the items, you find a brooch, an arrow, and a candle are all magical.
It's a Brooch of Shielding with 65 charges left.
It's a Slaying Arrow (vermin).
It's a Candle of Truth.
Once the electrical storm ends, a youthful voice calls out from under one of the tables, "Please don't hurt us, we're just doing our jobs!"
The various workers take Quiella's advice to heart as they all move out from under the tables towards to the exit.