Wonder if this will take me back
Adran touches the green orb again seeing if it takes him back to where he just came from.
Adran returns from whence he came.
Flann is most interested in crossing the red orb with a construct to see what's in the last room.
Flann finds another 'library' room, with 5 bookshelves and several tables, and Volita who has somehow gotten ahead of him while he was playing around with the other portals. She's reading books, while her constructs pile up more on the tables.
Adran hangs out waiting on Connor to return.
"All right, I'm back in - there you are!"
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"So the constructs are being useful. Good."
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"Yeah - this is a loud room! I said - this is a loud room! Oh, just touch the orb!"
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"C'mon, Volita. Or Kalvara." Connor demanded, looking at the black mancatcher still at the woman's side. "You can collect and read on the way back. We're eating into hour four here by my calculations, and I want at least a one-hour buffer time in case all the doors close before we get back to the untrapped outside world. I can't imagine any of these books or scrolls being relevant to us Atalantians." He stressed the last words for emphasis.
"I'll be there when I am done, Connor. I made an agreement, I at least keep my word." Volita says, archly, picking up another book from the shelf, this one colorful with alien writing on it that writhes as Connor looks at the cover. It morphs into 'The Color of Magic', and shows two men and a skeleton riding on a strange looking hope chest that has dozens of feet under it.
Everyone else is willing to follow him to the pillar room.
On his way back through the rooms, Flann reads the bloody scrap of paper.
When Connor reveals his plan, Flann scuffs his boot on the floor. "I was about to jump into the blue magic circle out of boredom, so I don't blame you. I've had my fill of books for the moment." Flann follows to the pillar room.
The bloody scrap of paper appears to be in a language Flann doesn't know. It's laid out in a table structure though, like a chart of some kind.
"Do we have a linguist among us? This scrap appears to be from a previous party- or it might be."
"We can't wait for you more than a few minutes." Connor said huffily. "We have yet to find the numbered cells." And I do keep my promises, even if they take years. he thought to himself.
----------------------------
"Natural linguist doesn't work on writing." Connor reminded Flann. "You'll need someone good with languages, written or otherwise."
Adran follows Connor along to the pillar room.
"Boss they sure went to a lot of trouble in the prison. Hidden from the world to start with and then all the traps and obstacles to navigate while risking being trapped here. We sure we want to break out the person or thing being held in such a place? Also I have a bit of linguistic ability. Let me have a look."
Adran isn't sure what the language is, but it looks vaguely familiar. It looks kind of like what the ship board rotation sheets look like, the ones the first mate hands out to determine who is on what shift.
He relays the information.
"Sorry boss, looks familiar, maybe if there was more to go off of."
"That's the assignment from the Regent, Adran." Connor said. "We might get a wish out of it. Which might get Grimjowl off of our backs for a while. We won't know until we see the prisoner inside cell 238."
Connor looks at the paper after Adran explains the writing to him.
"Just sayin boss. Just sayin."
Connor looking at it, agrees it looks like some sort of time schedule, it's divided up into 24 hours, with words laid out in that table, very much like the duty roster of the ship.
While the others ruminate over the scrap of paper, Flann kicks one of the chairs out onto a glowing tile.
The chair bounces on the glowing tile, casting shadows on the roof. The shadows are, oddly, chair shaped.
"That's it. I'm throwing myself into the magic circle now. Tell mother she was right. She won't get it... which will be poetic in and of itself." Flann's briefly sated ennui has returned in the form of a fatalistic abandon. As he stomps back to the yellow orb, colored dust descends with every step.
Flann steps into the glowing circle, and finds himself in a small 10 by 10 chamber at the top of a stairwell leading down.... after the bright blue flash that is...
"Flann, wait for-" Connor said as the Halvavian kicked the chair.
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"Okay, that's weird." Connor commented, seeing the shadows.
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"Wait, what?" Connor asked. After Flann vanished, Connor looked at Adran. "I may have been premature in thinking this was the final chamber." he muttered. "Volita-plus-god-of-knowledge is reading scrolls a few rooms back. She thinks we have plenty of time. If Flann finds a way to the next level," Connor thought out loud, looking at the still-present chair, "then we should follow. Volita will catch up, I'm sure."
He looked at Adran. "Do you remember a chamber with a magic circle?" Connor asked.
"Remember from where? First time here for me boss. Well if this splits us again been nice knowing you." Adran follows along behind Flann.
Flann goes downstairs and checks the first (cell) door he sees.
Everyone but Volita makes it through to the blue circle, and then steps into it, teleported to the next section of the prison.
The group finally begins to see actual prisoners. The first cell contains what looks like a cross between a bull mastiff, a shrimp, and an abomination, with extra limbs sticking out and jerking and twitching. It barks at them as they pass, wagging it's tail in a very friendly manner.
Next, is a creature that looks somehow larger than it's cell should be able to hold, as if the cell were bigger on the inside than the outside. A creature of fire and bone that roars and slams into the doorway, where the air crystalizes to keep it from exiting.
Then comes a creature that gives you a headache to look at, it's black form seeming to suck in light, even as it gives off it's own sullen red glow that seems to suck the air out of your lungs.
Through Flann's reestablished network, Connor commanded Nobody say anything. Not a word. Don't look at it. This is just me talking. Whatever is in here, has a good reason to be here. Permanently. Only do our assignment plus Kalvara's. And let's go by telepathy from here on, just in case. Anybody see any numbers on the cells? Look for 198 and 238. He stoically marched down the center of the passageway.
The cells on this floor are marked 061 to 060.
At the sight of the dog-like invertebrate, Flann fawns. ~Would that we had more time... Perhaps I'll find time enough for a detour on our way out.~
~Looks like we may have three more rounds of puzzles. Two before we see whatever's possessed Volita. That is, unless there are more cells on the later levels. We can infer that each layer of security is intended for incrementally powerful creatures.~ Flann will proceed slowly through the levels of cells until he reaches 109, glancing at the number across from it, passingly curious to see if it would be 100. Above all, however, he will keep his distance from the doors, and head to the start of the next challenge. ~Earth, Air... Water, I should hope? If there are three more rounds of puzzles, and only two more elements, I wonder how the final puzzle will be themed... and if there are further floors...~
The group pushes past the creature claiming it will kill them and everyone they ever met if not freed, and continue on down.
On the next floor, there are 3 prisoners, the first a goat like humanoid in armor that glares at them as they walk past. Opposite of it, is a purple humanoid thing that defies description that simply watches them impassively.
Beyond them, in cell 077, is a fopish elf with runes on it's face and hands.
Oh dear, I didn't realize that was still here, I had assumed he took it with him when he broke out.
Tenfa indicates there was a previous breakout. Connor passed along the comment though Flann's network. Privately, he did as best he could to remember as much detail without pausing to use his autohypnosis. Someone might be willing to pay, perhaps handsomely, to know who and what was imprisoned therein.
"Hello new friends. Perhaps you could let me out of here? I need to get back to my father, who must have accidentally left me here when he left."
"Boss maybe we should have freed the scary kill all things thing. Prison breaks rarely go as planned, we may end up letting it out anyways when we try and free who we came for."
Adran just stares at the elf waiting to see what the others think.
Flann spins around, stopping at the top of the next staircase. ~Are we talking again?~ Returning, Flann eyes the relatively mundane-looking elf. ~Maybe we should try and open one of the empty cells first...~
Connor paused.
Tenfa, Connor asked, what did you mean by that? Should we even listen to this creature? Given that we have eldritch horrors and beings beyond comprehension here, and we haven't even completed our original task, can we trust any of these prisoners?
Hmm? Oh, this thing? It's less of a prisoner and more of a confiscated piece of equipment. If you were curious about what that upstart Telvan looks like, or looked like while he was mortal, there's your answer. That's his former familiar he created. When he broke out of this place with Kalaban, he left it behind. Likely felt he didn't need it anymore, poor thing has been here for over 3 millennia, pining for him.
"Adran! Telepathy only. If I understand Tenfa, Halfling goddess, correctly," Connor stated slowly, "what we have here is an immortal familiar of a god. Probably Wingless Elven, from his appearance. Somebody named Telvan. Not evil, if I understand Tenfa correctly. Telvan and someone named Kalaban broke out of here together millennia ago. This familiar's been here ever since."
Connor looked at Adran again. Inspect the lock on this creature's cell. We can't dally long, but will you give it a look? he asked through Flann's network. His impatience came vocally over his telepathy.
Now dear, I didn't say it was a god's familiar, I said it was Telvan's familiar, and Telvan left it behind when he broke out. Telvan wasn't a god when he broke out, that was sort of the idea. Locked up to keep him from becoming a god. See? Very logical, yes?Your ignorance of reality is both amusing and somewhat scary, dear.
Correction. Connor added. Tenfa insists this is Telvan's familiar before he became a godling.
If it had been his familiar after he became a god, dear, it would have been buried much deeper in the prison...
~Tenfa and Kalaban are in Telvan's god-family? What's family if not free pass out of an interdimensional hyperprison?~ It's not immediately clear if that's meant sarcastically or not, but it is clear he's not paying much attention.
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Unbeknownst to Flann, his ears suddenly grow 3 times longer and droop down like a donkey's ears...
The Elf in the cell watchs Flann, and then mimics his ear drooping, saying "Ohh, neat, you can do that too!"