“Try the grapple,” Nathaniel agrees with Eliva. “Surely there must be a way to deactivate this, somewhere ... unless the person behind all of this can fly or something ... “
Res peers at the opposite wall intently. "I think your idea is very dangerous but just might work. How many pitons do you have Eliva. We can pound one near the floor here. That will keep the floor from tilting once you get past the center. We can pound another piton above the door here. If you shoot the grappling arrow across, and we tie the rope between the two points, it may hold one of us. What to do if the door on the other side is locked? That may be a problem. Good luck with your shot, aim true."
Nathaniel turns to Angalia. “I hate to ask it of you Ange, but do you feel up to climbing across on Eliva’s rope? You’re one of the lightest of us, and the best at opening locked doors quietly if it comes to that.”
Angalia giggles again, bright-eyed.
"Of course. Anyway, I always wanted to be thinner. Acid would do that nicely. Maybe some kind of harness to keep me off the floor."
She looks again at the room and tries to think about how she would build a room like this.
"I only have one of these arrows," Eliva said sadly. "I have this climbing kit, there are a few pitons in it. If we pound one soundly into the wall just above the floor here, we should give the other to Erfan or maybe Angalia. Erfan, being so much smaller, is in much less danger of his weight not being held by the rope and grapple arrow. If he can pound a second piton into the wall opposite us, then Angalia can make her way across much more safely, only using the grapple arrow and rope for support and balance as the floor tilts side to side, but is stable back to front from the pitons. If Angalia wants to take the risk from the start, we could try that too. I will do my best to seat the arrow well."
Eliva hands over her pitons and the hammer in the climbing kit to the party, then murmurs a prayer to Erastil for guidance as she takes careful aim for the most likely carving she can find on the opposite wall near the door.
Eliva tugs on the rope attached to the arrow to make it stick to the decorations if it will, or dislodge it if it's not seated well so she can pull the arrow back and try again.
“Good shot Eliva,” murmurs Nathaniel, grasping the woman briefly on the shoulder. “It sounds as if you have a plan, and I’m willing to go along with it, play my part. I’ve been climbing trees since I was a child, and I have a decent sense of balance – I could probably get across the rope, if it will hold my weight, or around the edges of the room with aid of the climbing kit to plant pitons. If that door across there is locked though, the only way I’ll get it open is with my axe.”
Angalia points out some of the building's oddities and looks across the at the door.
"If Nath can help secure the other side, I'll try and deal with the door."
She rummages in her pack. "I don't know if these will help, but they're shiny."
"I don't think Erfan is any condition to cross that floor in his condition. I hate sending Angalia because she is afflicted too, but she does not seem to be as worse off as Erfan." Turning to Angalia, "You are quite brave, but you seem injured. Feel Gorum's healing power flow through you."
Eliva eyed the grappling arrow warily, but her tugs seemed to indicate it was solidly attached. she began to tie the opposite end to a large and sturdy decorative carving in the doorway above them.
"I worry about putting too much strain on the pitons we put here. Those of us waiting here can sit in the doorway and press down with our legs as needed as Angalia makes her way across to minimize the strain on the piton and give her safer passage. The biggest issue will be balancing side to side."
Eliva looked at Angalia, sizing her up. "Maybe a rope around her waist to get her out quickly if things go very wrong would be a good precaution as well..."
Lightheaded and lighthearted, Angalia scampers across the improvised rope bridge.
Nathaniel does his best to hold the rope steady and taut as Angalia makes her way across.
Nathaniel does his best to hold the rope steady and taut as Angalia makes her way across.
"Now ... do you need some help over there?"
At Nathaniel's request Eliva will push down on the floor near the door after Nathaniel reaches the center of the floor, stepping out onto the floor with one foot and putting her weight on it to take some strain off the pitons as two people stand on the far side.
"Hurry up!" she hissed nervously. "I think two people is pushing it!"
Teetering precariously, and trying to keep herself as balanced as she can to avoid disturbing the floor, Angalia runs her hands cautiously over the door.
Res tries to help Eliva balance the floor to offset Nathaniel and Angalia's weight.
Unfortunately, he can't seem to apply the right amount of pressure and backs away.
Angalia makes it safely across the floor, supporting herself on the rope. the pitons shift and scrape, but hold fast. Nathaniel follows, his allies helping to balance his weight on the precarious floor. The floor shifts slightly and some of the noxious acid rises up from the outer seam, but he is able to maintain his balance and avert a disaster.
The door across the room is not trapped, nor is it locked. Angalia and Nathaniel can easily pass through it. Beyond is a strange corridor that wraps both ways back around the room you were just in. Another large door is across from the door you just passed through.
On a wall off to one side is what can only be described as a "control box," with various levers, dials, and controls.
Angalia's talents fail her as hysterical laughter bubbles up again uncontrollably.
With some amount of difficulty, Angalia is able to figure out the control panel. With a satisfying grinding sound, she finds that a combination of the levers causes supports to activate on the balanced floor, making it safe for the others to cross.
Hearing Angalia’s increasingly hysterical laughter, and an unhealthy sounding ‘clunk’ as she pulls the wrong lever, Nathaniel takes her hands in his and looks into her eyes.
“You can do this Angalia,” he says. “Just take your time ... I’ll be right here.”
He then lets go of her hands and keeps watch, both on the doors and the backwards facing side passages, while Angalia works.
Once everyone is across, Nathaniel breathes a sigh of relief, then suggests, “I’d like to check these side passages – make sure there is nothing lurking behind us – before we continue through the doors.”
"Well done Angalia," says Res as he crosses through the door. "Good Idea Nathaniel. You take the passage on the left and I will check the one on the right
Nathaniel nods.
“Erfan, can you cast the same spell for me?” he asks the gnome, indicating Res’ light spell. He then heads off to investigate the other passage.
As the remainder of the party cross the stabilized floor, the shrill laugh once again reverberates throughout the funhouse.
Nathaniel and Res thoroughly investigate the side corridors, which lead to small empty storage rooms.
Eliva unties her rope from the door the party entered the trapped room from, and then looped it around her elbow as she made her way gingerly across the floor. At the far door she freed the grappling arrow from the ornate carvings on the wall and stuffed it back in her pack. She could replace the pitons, but the arrow was rather specialized equipment.
"Good work, Angalia, Nathaniel," she whispered as she went through the door. "I'll stay here with the others while you investigate," she added as Nathiel and Res crept around opposite corners.
“Nothing down there,” reports Nathaniel, emerging from the narrow side passage, “just an empty dusty room.”
He looks towards the double doors and sets his jaw. “We must be getting close now ... let’s give this joker a reason to stop laughing.”
"If I get out of this alive, I may hold you to that engagement, Nath."
Angalia fights for control and for a moment almost sounds like her old self.
"That's a nice piece of kit, Eliva. Will you let me look at it and see if I can copy it sometime?"
She watches and Nath and Res explore the side passages and prepare to head through the doors.
Nathaniel smiles a little sadly at Angalia's comment, then turns his attention back to the doors. "Ange, can you check them for traps before we go charging through?"
"I'll try."
Res returns from the other side passage. "Nothing down this passage either."
"Keys first. I'm not as reliable as I could be."
|
Eliva smiled happily at Angalia's comment. "Of course, I would be pleased to lend it to you," she said softly, once again drawing her bow and nocking a regular arrow in it as Angalia pulled out the keys they'd discovered. "After we take care of whoever is behind this curse."
Eliva is readying an action to shoot at any enemy she sees attempting to cast a spell (once the door is open, of course!).
Nathaniel passes Angalia the keys, then stands ready with his axe and shield held in front of him. “Stand to the side while you open it,” he suggests to Angalia.
Res cleans off the remaining blood from his greatsword and stands ready for Angalia to open the door.
One of the keys fits perfectly and the door opens with ease.
The room that follows is a high-ceilinged chamber, painted all over with the colorful faces of grinning clowns. The painted faces seem to stare at you regardless of where you stand.
While the roof rises 20 feet above you, an interior wall before you rises only 10 feet, leaving a gap above. The floor is about a foot lower in this room, and every inch is covered in tiny metal bearings.
In front of the low interior wall, two tiny impish creatures leer spitefully at you. They fly on small leathery wings that appear to be laced with bluish frost. Their tiny hands bear fine, razor-like claws and their frost-blue eyes gleam with malice. "Intruders!" one of them sneers.
“Devils!” gasps Nathaniel (probably inaccurately).
Res sees the curious bumps on the floor. "The floor, it doesn't look right. Be careful walking through it."
"Slip-sliding fun! These are the ringmasters."
Eliva, preferring to keep sure footing beneath her if possible, shoots at the creature she has the most open shot at. If necessary to take a shot, she will move gingerly into the room over the treacherous floor.
"More friends!" Erfan cackles gleefully.
Two of the creatures pull tiny bows, unleashing frosty arrows at Angalia before flying away behind the partition.
A third creature flies up over the low wall and looses an arrow at Eliva.
They tiny fey menaces laugh cruelly as their miniature arrows draw blood and spread their unnatural frost.
Erfan
Angalia
Tiffana
Nathaniel
Eliva
Res
Urdrin
Grig 1 (5 feet off the ground behind wall)
Grig 2 (5 feet off the ground behind wall)
Grig 3 (10 feet off the ground)