Fortunately, we don't have to mess with anything. Sparkle, crawl into that face opening, Simo says feeding him a little treat first, Sorry for risking your neck, but we both know the deal. Sparkle crawls down his back and down the hall into the darkness inside the face. That should take care of that.
One of you bruisers start smashing holes in all this plaster, there has to be something more here. It's not like we care about preserving this... art.
Simo sits, I'm going to investigate these glowing stones, maybe the nature of the enchantment will give a clue. Simo takes 10 minutes to perform identify as a ritual.
While the mist schenanigans are going on Sonya has been busy taking notes off something she noticed..
"There's a message hidden in the stones here.. It reads:
Go back to the tormentor or through the arch, and the second great hall you’ll discover.
Shun green if you can, but night’s good color is for those of great valor.
If shades of red stand for blood the wise will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of magical metal — you’re well along your march.
Two pits along the way will be found to lead to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
These keys and those are most important of all, and beware of trembling hands and what will maul.
If you find the false you find the true and into the columned hall you’ll come, and there the throne that’s key and keyed.
The iron men of visage grim do more than meets the viewer’s eye.
You’ve left and left and found my Tomb and now your soul will die.
Sparkle crawls into the open mouth on the face and vanishes without a trace. Simo can no longer sense his familiar's presence, and it's as if he's been completely annihilated.
"One can assume the tormentor is the grinning demon of death statue over there.. Once again in case any of you misheard me, do not mess with that thing unless you wish to meet the afterlife.. That said the arch with the mist must be the way to go.. Once Simo determines what the stones do, if anything I say we go that way.."
"As far as the rest of the riddle goes let's see.. Not sure about shunning green.. Have we seen any green? The shades of red could be the floor, not sure about sacrificing a magical ring though.. There were several pit traps though, it says two will be fortuidous, so we should probably investigate the pit traps closer.. I'll do that.."
Flying on her broom she heads back down the hall and into each pit trap, looking for something more..
Looking over the pit traps does not reveal anything new about them. However, as you pass by the wall next to the trapped chest you notice that something seems off about the plaster on the wall.
On this section is a painting of an iron door that evidently confines a horrid creature, its scaly talons grasping the bars of its small window.
"Ah yes.. The face is green, right.. Well we already determined not to mess with that.. Night's good color though.."
"Also the line about false being true.. Perhaps the two false door we found need more investigation?"
-----------------
Back down the hall..
"Somethings off about this section of the wall.."
"Perhaps the this horrid creature is the tormentor over the grinning statue.. It is back up the hall afterall.."
The mist is a standard white/grey color. It takes on the colors of the glowing stones, so it is yellow on the bottom left, blue at the top, orange at the bottom right.
You notice the plaster is really thin on the section with the iron door painting. It rings hollow when you knock on it, suggesting something behind it.
You're suspecting this is what "If you find the false you find the true" suggests.
You also begin to suspect the first stanza is suggesting a color sequence in which the stones need to be pressed.
"I can't find any more clues in here.", the dragon chimes up.
"So perhaps we need to toss a magic ring in that demon maw that just swallowed the lizard."
The dragon looks around for a bit, then flies over to the picture of the two dog-men holding the bronze box. It drifts over to the left slightly coming to a halt and sets down on the red path. Looking at the section of the wall between the dog-men and the prison door it says: "This up there looks like a tormentor."
"Got a false wall over here.. Morgan you mind taking care of it?"
First stanza in the riddle? Im not seeing anything mentioning yellow, blue, and orange..
Simo says, No one go near the face. Sparkle wasn't simply killed, but unmade in some fashion. I don't think there is anything that can survive such magic, and continues his ritual.
Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you’ll discover.
Shun green if you can, but night’s good color
is for those of great valor.
If shades of red stand for blood the wise
will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of
magical metal — you’re well along your march.
You suspect that it might suggest an order that the stones need to be pressed.
The snack is tasty, despite the circumstances.
The spell tells you that the stones must each be pressed once in the correct sequence to clear the mist. You aren't able to learn the sequence, but you at least know the choices are narrowed.
Simo studies the device for a time while the door is being cleared, This is a simple three-part code. I don't think anything has mention green yellow and blue so far. Damn, if I hadn't sent sparkle to his doom I could have figured this out! Curse my haste! Sen, come back - your location is probably more dangerous than the door in the wall. When can come back to this door later if we get stuck.
"I think the key to the order is in riddles first three sentences.. I'm not quite sure how though. Nothing in those three sentences gives clues to the colors on the arch.. My gut just tells me its there. Perhaps we can just bypass the arch by going through the wall back there. After all the riddle says either way will get us to the "Great Hall"..
Sonya attempts to communicate telepathically with Sen, that is if she is located within 30' of the Arch..
If so she asks if Sen can get back to here? If not what all does she see.
"Are you sure? I've just started getting comfy."
The dragon pauses, then continues "Ah, also I really don't like to waste even more magic than I already did."
We won't leave you behind if we keep your pal, will we?
Morgan will grunt, move over to the wall, and Draw out his warhammer, and hit the wall with it.
"I don't know how big this place is, if he gets too far a way i may lose my connection. But I can still come out and catch up."
Works for me, then we will keep moving and let you know what we find, Simo moves his arm away from him to shout at Morgan, How's it going? Find that opening yet?
"Does it look like it's open yet?"
Morgan gives the wall a few good whacks and the plaster collapses into a pile of dust, revealing a narrow passageway that runs about 20 feet west and ends in a large iron door .
You aren't able to find anything new about the room you are in.
Simo casts prestidigitation to make it smell like farts around Morgan.
Kraven coughs to hold back a snicker at Simo and Morgan's banter, then falls in behind whomever begins to head down the new corridor as they check for traps.
"More doors, just what we needed!" the dragon exclaims excitedly as it seats itself on top of Morgan's head."Go see if it's locked!"
Morgan will take sheath his Warhammer and take point, moving down the hallway, eyes keen for signs of danger.
Sinjin keeps an eye out from his perch on the dwarf's head.
You don't detect anything unusual in the corridor, though you decide to proceed with caution. At the end is a large iron door, and it does not appear to be locked.
Sonya takes a close look at the door.
You don't detect any traps in the corridor or on the door. The door doesn't appear to be locked.
"All clear Morgan, you may take the lead opening it.."
"'It's safe, go ahead and open it while i stand over here'." Sen's voice mocks through the pseudodragon.
Morgan will push open the door and look inside.
Morgan opens the door and looks inside.
This featureless stone room contains a 10-foot-tall creature with stony skin, horns, wings, and four arms ending in sharp claws. Around its neck is a collar studded with gleaming blue gems.
Within moments of the door opening, the creature animates and begins to move at Morgan.
I consider this a good sign! Simo laughs a little as he cals out a song of ice and grips his fist an an awkward way causing a layer of frost to form on the creature.
"Seems we are making progress.."
Sonya weaves a spell and attempts to turn the beast into a frog..
Arcane energy flashes in the corridor and Sen emerges from dispersing purple mist created by the magick.
"Hey maybe we should lure the thing out here, Morgan!" she says in unison with her pseudodragon.
Kraven's weapon springs to his hand as the paladin moves in to assist Morgan. Focusing inward, Kraven's weapon begins pulse with a holy light, illuminating the area around him and radiating divine power.
As the gargoyle approaches, Morgan laughs. "When will this fool of a wizard learn that Dwarves can not be hurt by stone?"
Morgan will prepare to attack it when the creature gets to him .
Simo's spell hits the Gargoyle and coats it in a small layer of frost.
And then the Gargoyle turns into a frog. It looks around, extremely confused. The collar it's wearing rests on the ground around it.
"How adorable! What do we do with it?"
Sonya, was this a temporary transformation, or a permanent one? Asks Kraven curiously. Sniffing to himself, he continues If it is a permanent one, and it has truly become a frog in its heart and mind, I see no reason to kill it.
"Well, that was a bit of a let down."
"It is the same in mind. The spell is not permanent so its probably best if Morgan smash it with his hammer."
Wait!, Simo says, The spell is undone by death, but the creature lives. This is why you don't take shortcuts in your magical training. It also had a necklace that could be important to this room, we must make a decision how to act but if we destroy it - by say throwing it into the green face's mouth - we lose the items it carried as well.