"The cardinal seems to have all the cool toys," Saranda jokes, walking over to it.
Robin approaches the rack, checking if it shows signs of use or seems new.
I guess that settles that. We don't really have someone to use this on...yet. So, the other door, first?
Glancing around once more, she then returns to the door, gesturing in sign language:"Shall we?"
The rack doesn't appear to have been used in quite some time. Or maybe it's just been cleaned extremely thoroughly. Hard to say.
Hecate looks around, puzzled. "This, um, doesn't seem like much of a test - what are we missing?"
'I believe we are missing whoever needs to be put on that device. We may need to backtrack later, if we find a suitable person. I suppose it's a test of wether we can go through with cruelty or will show weakness. Or it's a kinky place for Saranda to reward her slave for the potion. But the cardinal could hardly have known that!', Robin states, adding a mental chuckle on the later part.
Hecate gives a weak smile at Robin's humour; she's hoping they don't have to put it to use. The memory of her own torture at Branderscar is slightly too recent in her mind.
"So, onwards?"
Along with the standard oil lantern, this room contains a pair of mithril serpents. As soon as the door opens, they hiss and begin slithering toward you.
Prudently stepping behind Grumblejack, Hecate peeps out to get a look at the things, hoping to determine what they are and if they have any weaknesses.
She shares the information with her companions.
The serpents are definitely constructs. As such, you're not particularly sure of their capabilities.
A matter of might, is it. Is that...Mithril? They move so easily, so fluid. I was wrong. The cardinal spends quite a bit on outfitting his gauntlet if we're supposed to destroy these.
Without hesitation, Robin slings a bolt of flame at the metallic Snake further away, while urging her companion forward to hold the other one's attention.
Her snake-like ally slither forward and bites at his metal adversary.
With a wave of her hand, Hecate brings forth from the realms of Hell a fiendish creature, all stings and claws and carapace. The scorpion menaces the nearest cobra.
Summoning a glob of acid in her hand, Saranda lobs it at one of the snakes.
The constructs seem to be naturally resistant to magic, but Robin's fire manages to punch through nontheless. Her target begins to burn as Saranda follows up with a glob of acid. The snake slithers forward and strikes at Robin, but she's easily able to avoid the metal fangs. The other serpent tries to take a bite out of Robin's companion.
Top Snake: 7pts damage, burning
AC 21, 12/12 HP, Fort 1, Refl 8(Evasion), Will 3, +8 Bite 1d4+1(20/x2) and +8 Tail Slap 1d4+1(20/x2) -
Shocked that the creature would actually assail her, Robin takes a step back, before calling more fire and directing it at the metallic snake.
[dice=SR 13(I guess each blast is a new "instance")]1d20+2[/dice]
Robin's companion, meanwhile, struggles to actually find vulnerable parts in the metallic enemy.
As such, it decides to fight defensively, opting to keep the enemy occupied until such time it's Mistress can divert her attention to it.
The room begins to fill with the sound of Infernal chanting. It appears to be some kind of ritualistic prayer.
Robin's blast melts a vital component on the construct, and it ceases to function.
Saranda moves to attack the other snake construct, laughing as she hears the sweet sound of the infernal chanting, "Burn, burn!" she shouts at the construct.
Hecate stays out the way, but the scorpion she summoned springs into the attack.
Unfortunately its attacks can only scrabble against the hard metal exterior of the constructs.
Hecate bites her lip. She's livid with herself for not knowing anything about them, and makes a resolution that - once they're out of here - she's going to go through the Cardinal's library and scoop up every book on engineering that she can find.
Hecate's summoned minion narrowly misses the metal serpent, but Saranda manages to singe it. The construct's retaliatory bite doesn't even come close to connecting with its target.
Snake: 3pts damage
The summoned scorpion attacks (in vain) once more, before vanishing into the Infernity whence it came.
Hecate frowns. She's going to need more - and better - minions at her command, and soon.
Robin's companion attacks once more, staying defensive, and it's half-hearted attacks don't even come close to connecting now. It then slithers back slightly, disengaging from the metal snake to clear the way for Robin's blast.
Unfortunately, Robin misinterpreted the metallic snakes movement, failing to properly lead her target when another burst of flame originated from her and slammed into the southern wall.
Cursing in her mind, Robin takes just a moment to throw a disapproving glance at Grumblejack.
Saradana throw another glob of acid, seeming pretty effective for a cantrip.
Saranda's acid corrodes part of the construct's body, then Grumblejack saunters into the room and hits the snake hard enough to leave a dent in the floor. Grinning, he flexes his sizeable muscles. "Except for that nasty lady, Grumblejack like this place. Is good sport."
Hecate blinks. "Grumblejack, I'm, um, I'm glad you're on our side."
She hastily scoops up the mithral. "This is worth a lot - we should hang on to this."
Hang on...if the cardinal lets us...he may need that for another set of snakes for the next candidates..., Robin thinks, but does not speak up.
Instead, she gives Grumblejack a thumbs-up and smiles at him, before moving over and petting her companion. Not that the otherworldly primal existance within had any understanding of a sign of affection, but it seemed natural to her.
Then she looks around the room. Only one exit. Could it be more trickery? This room seemed straightforward. Bold, she approaches the door, half expecting a trap to trigger when she attempts to open it.
Behind the door is a short corridor terminating at (unsurprisingly) an inscribed wooden door. "Suffer not the fool. Stupidity is our faith's cardinal sin."
Inside is a square chamber lit by an oil lantern. A staircase to the east leads upward. In the center of the room is a podium, atop which rests a pendant of silver - a dragon with sapphire eyes.
"O' Grumble, you never let us down. Those snakes were like squish!"
"Interesting. Looks like what we were sent to find; only, um, I didn't think it would be in plain sight - and the inscription on the door says not to be stupid."
Hecate stays where she is at the edge of the room and mutters under her breath, casting a spell of some sort. Nothing happens. She just stares intently at everything.
'I concur. It seems TOO easy. Either it's trapped, or fake...maybe both.'
Hecate doesn't detect any magic in the room.
Stepping carefully up towards the pendant, Hecate stops as soon as she's able to see it. She looks at it closely.
While the pendant is made of silver, its "sapphire" eyes are actually colored glass.
"Hm. Not sapphire, but it is silver. Could be valuable."
Stepping back to the doorway, ready to run, Hecate chants the command words and the pendant slowly rises, drifting towards her outstretched hand.
The pendant ssslllooowwwlllyyy floats into Hecate's hand. Upon closer examination, it's probably not worth very much . The room remains quiet and still.
"Valuable, but I don't think that is what he want's. well, we could always pawn it, maybe decorate a slave with it to remember their names, I have hard time remembering them," she looks to her slave, "Right Juuuuuuuudddddyyyy?"
Saranda overall, looks around the room for anything of use, going around the perimeter walls.
Robin ponders the message inscribed on the door, watching Hecate and Saranda reading their lips, not feeling a need to interact, when they seemingly draw the same conclusion she does.
Almost immediately, Saranda finds a sliding wall panel in the western wall. It's untrapped and opens to reveal an L-shaped corridor.
"And look what we have here. A secret passage. Looks like this is the way."
Hecate nods, mutely, and follows the others.
The passageway leads to another door. "Secrecy is our greatest ally. Exposure brings death."
The room beyond is completely dark.
Robin touches Hecate and Saranda. 'Lets talk like this...I would not want to risk either of you making noise. Hecate, there's some purple mushroom in there, in a patch of earth contained by a brick circle. Do you have any idea what that could be? Would it be save to blast it? Even if we can sneak along the wall, I'm not certain Grumble could-'
Um...
Hecate's uncertainty comes across even more in telepathic form.
She racks her brains to think what this mushroom might be.
Hecate recognizes the plant as a Shrieker Mushroom. Highly sensitive to light and movement, they emit a deafening scream if disturbed.
OK... it sounds like a shrieker mushroom. They're, um, sensitive to light and movement and they give off a deafening scream if you disturb them. So, um, let's not do that.
She looks unhappy. She's trusted these two with her life up to this point, but now she's having to put herself completely in their hands. You're going to have to lead me - I don't have any spell that lets me see in the dark. Yet. First thing she does when she gets out of here, she's researching one.
Correction. Second thing. First thing is reading up on golems.
Deep breath. OK. Let's do this.
'Light AND movement? Or Light OR Movement? Important distinction right there unless we want grumble to wait here. You seem reluctant about being led. It's simple actually. Grab the wall to your right and follow it to the next door. If we intend to inch along slowly, pressed against the wall, I won't be faster regardless of being able to see.
Robin considers a moment, then adds:'Still, wouldn't want to trigger some light by brushing against the wrong stone...I'll use the orb we found earlier to reinforce the darkness...so tell me when you're ready...I suggest you keep between me and Saranda.'
Oh, I meant that they're sensitive to light AND they're sensitive to movement - so don't do either near them.
Saranda holds on to Robin's shoulder, "Sounds like a plan. We'll eat h your back. This has to be another damned trap, seems to be a theme here."
"Grumble, stay behind while we take care of this shroom."