I continue following along behind the others in the group, noting their conversations and movements. I ponder the wording in the poem as I go.
I move to the south of the secret door and wait.
Stealth:
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Trane and Uldar creep north up the wide hallway, and investigate the eastern hallways. The first hallway bends to the southeast, and then comes to a dead end. Two doors are present on the north side of the hallway.
Moving to the next hallway, it runs eastward, and two additional doors are present on the north side. A separate hallway branches off between the two doorways, and heads southward to enter two circular rooms (142 and 143).
Neither adventurer detects the presence of others during their survey of the hallways...
Trane investigates the northern doors, and, if nothing untoward is detected, opens them.
Brandor continues to watch, not willing to make noise that might ruin the stealthy approach the others are using.
Uldar goes back to the corner and makes a signal for the others to stealthily approach.
The halfling comes back then and tries to help Trane.
Seeing Uldar signal, Garm attempts to creep up silently.
He freezes as he accidentally kicks a small rock, sending it skipping down the hallway. he watches and listens hoping nothing nasty heard that...
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Trane investigates the northern doors, and, if nothing untoward is detected, opens them.
At Trane and Uldar's urging, the party creeps up the wide hallway and sees Trane open the first northern door.
This large chamber (Area 138) was once an extensive library, as evidenced by the charred remains of books and litter of broken tables and chairs. Scraps of torn and burned scrolls are tossed here and there.
A desk contains a bottle of normal ink, 6 quills and 10 sheets of parchment. On a low table is a small tome (worth 50 gp to any evil spell user) detailing the sacrifice of humans to earth elementals.
A peg on a wall holds a brown velvet cassock upon which are embroidered triangles of gold thread with precious stones (8 jaspers and 28 hematites, with base values of 50 and 10 gp, respectively).
A shelf contains several remnants of works on the ethos of Chaotic Evil — double-dealing, self-advancement, treachery, etc. One such work reveals the "sacred" earth triangle and mentions the "trial of earthly terrors awaiting the foolhardy"; this trial awaits "below/elsewhere."
An iron chest is chained to a ring set in the east wall.
Trane points out the chest to Uldar, and hand the evil books to the cleric.
"I think we want to destroy these in a good temple. Looks like we have trials below to face with the earth creatures. I may need to practice my letters, let me look at these papers and pens."
Trane looks at the parchment and quills with curiosity.
Trane pockets the gems and points to the chest.
"If Uldar is not opening it, we should probably take it. Rorax, want to break the chain, I'll help."
"Sure thing bub." Roran grabs the chain with both hands and tries to break it.
"Strange place this one... who needs a library to explain how to make the evilness? Whom shares with others how to be selfish? Weird concept isn't it?" the halfling looks clued at the idea and seems puzzled at what kind of crazy forces the party is facing.
Seeing the chest he adds "Let me check that before forcing it open..."
After the chain, Uldar also inspects the chest and tries to open it unlocking it if necessary.
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Uldar examines the chain holding the iron chest to the wall, and doesn't perceive the presence of any traps. He easily finds the means by which the chain is locked to the chest, and frees it.
Then he examines the chest, and becomes aware that a small hole is present just below the keyhole. He inserts several pieces of wire, wiggles them about, and then carefully pulls a needle and spring device out of the hole! He then proceeds to use his tools to spring the chest lock open.
Inside the chest are two leather bags containing 183 gp and 240 gp, respectively; a scroll with two divine spells, Animate Dead and Prayer; and a gold box with ivory trim worth 350 gp. Inside the gold box, nestled in cloth packing, are several potion flasks: Sanctuary, Endure Elements, Cat's Grace, Magic Weapon, and Cure Light Wounds.
Upon Uldar's signal I follow them down the hallway and into the large chamber (Rm138). I observe their actions and what all they find. Seeing the parchment, ink and quills, and then the spell scroll and the potion flasks I step up and say,
I can use the ink, quills and parchment if no one else wants them, and I can use the spell scroll, unless you want it, Brandor, and the potions to benefit our efforts here. May I please have them?
"I don't plan to be animating any dead soon, and if you can use Prayer, then that benefits us all. Feel free to hold on to them."
"If no one else wants them, I will take the Cat's grace and the Endure elements potions." says Uldar.
Then, when everybody is ready, he sets foot towards the upper corridor and explores the first door there to the North if the party follows, otherwise he follows the party to the new direction.
"Let's take this first door first."
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The group opens the door, and sees two small rooms connected by a short hallway. The first room (139) was evidently one where strange and potent stuffs were once kept. The place is a welter of smashed flasks,
broken pottery vessels, glass shards, all amid the scattered remains of the contents of these containers — herbs, spices, chemicals, and other strange mixtures and substances now unidentifiable. Even the shelves and benches which held these things are now broken and strewn about. The wreckage appears to be total.
The second room (140) is unusual, being triangular in shape. The chamber is plastered and painted with disgusting scenes and adages. It was apparently used as a restful (?) place to which the clerics of the cult might retreat and ponder the glories of Earthy Elemental Evil. A huge eye is painted on the ceiling, and seems to glare down upon all in the place. Padded benches still line the walls, and several chairs remain intact. From the condition of these seats and the look of the floor, this ghastly chamber is still frequented on occasion.
Roran steps in to the room full of broken sharp objects and strong smells. He wrinkles his bent nose. "I'm not sure what's more dangerous. The glass or that damned smell."
The second room has his eyes narrowed though. He spits on the floor. "Bloody cults. Always causing trouble." He takes a quick poke around each room.
I take the ink, quills and parchment as well as the spell scroll and the potions of Sanctuary, Magic Weapon and Cure Light Wounds and put them in my backpack.
I proceed to Rm. 139 and look around and do a Perception check:
Then I move on to Rm. 140 and again look around and do a Perception Check:
The huge eye on the ceiling is unsettling and I wonder if it has a scrying device in it. Perception:
Uldar helps the party to check whatever needed.
I examine the small bottles to see if I can figure out what powder is in them.
Spellcraft:
Knowledge Arcana:
Trane joins the search party.
Trane points to the north door at the end of the hallway first then points to the diagonal hallway heading south next.
"Whatcha'll doin' playing with powders? "
Brandor heads out to the end of the hall (between 140 and 142) to listen at that door.
Trane examines the door (30 perception w/ take 20) and then opens it if nothing suspicious.
Trane turns to the dwarf.
"Crypts, these are your area of knowledge."
"Not until I've cracked em open to make sure nothing is moving first." Roran growls, going around to do just that. If anybody is getting a nasty surprise, he plans it to be him.
Brandor follows Roran in, searching around.
Uldar gets surprised by the violence of the moment "Ah! You could at least more respectfully profanate the tombs."
The halfling hides at the doorstep nervous, holding his bow up in case any danger emerges from the tombs.
As Roran gracelessly smashes in the first crypt, Garm tries to be useful and casts Detect Magic, allowing him to recognize magical auras within a 60 foot cone. He worries about what finding more of the distinctive Necromancy auras might mean...
Please still be dead, please still be dead, please still be dead.
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Roran approaches the nearest crypt and opens it.
Inside lies the body of a human, naked except for the wearing of a bronze ring with the triangular setting of jet.
Heads up Garm whispers harshly.
The 7th crypt down glows with protective magic. Abjuration for those of us aware of magical distinctions
Roran looks at it suspiciously. "So what should we do about it?"
Trane turns to the dwarf:
"Bless us in this endeavor. Let us open it up."
Trane approaches the seventh crypt.
Uldar appraises de jet bronze ring and sets himself into a ready stance aiming towards the 7th crypt as Trane and Roran opens it.
Not very confident on the idea of perturbing the dead he steps back a bit towards the entrance "Let's get out of here before they start coming for us. What is dead is dead."
It could be anything from a magical trap to magical trinkets stored with the dead. The aura is relatively weak though.
Trane examines the crypt before opening it.
"I will assume any magic that can help us we should have. But I will take it if it makes you feel better."
Brandor casts Bless before they open it.
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Trane approaches the 7th crypt, which appears identical to the other crypts within the rooms. He opens it, and immediately a cloud of dusty air puffs out of it!
Uldar examines the ring found within the first crypt, and determines it is identical to the other rings worn by certain members of the Earth cult on this level - worth 50 gp.
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Trane gasps and chokes on the dusty cloud of matter that whooshes out of the crypt, but is able to regain his breath in short order. Peering into the crypt, he sees the skeleton of a humanoid person, which is wearing one of the Earth cult rings, as well as a brown cloak which is wrapped around its torso.
Trane assumes the well preserved cloak and ring and worth taking.
So he does.
Uldar waits patiently for the ransack to be done. He observes the corridor outside "Perhaps we can head to the rooms in the southern corridor and check them out."
If the party decides to follow up, he will check the chambers.