Ada stands back, and lets those who can read Thassilonian do so. "Looks interesting. She probably did have more going on than they knew."
As they entered the room with the large silvery doors Saersha studied them carefully. "This is rather amazing isn't it. I wonder what is behind the doors..." As she examined the doors she noticed the writing and pointed to first the left then the right, "This one says Listen, that one says Watch." She looked at the spots on the floor the eyes seemed to be looking at and said, "Those are probably part of the puzzle, possibly someone needs to stand in each of them, as for listen..." She began to look around for some clue as to how that part of the puzzle worked.
As Saersha examines the doors' runes more closely, she can feel a wave of heat coming from the metal doors themselves. Touching the metal surface will likely be harmful without some measure of protection from heat.
The runes on the doors stick out slightly, like a set of buttons.
Ulfr also goes poking about for clues.
Saersha paused as she started to turn from the doors and then looked back at them again. Specifically she was looking at the word watch and an annoyed look came across her face. "Corrections, it says 'The Eyes' not 'Watch'" she said as she pointed at the right door again.
You do remember that the puzzle-box you worked on at Heidmarch Manor had a similar rune-lock upon it--is it possible these doors have a similar lock upon them?
"Hmm... this must be some kind of puzzle. Do we need to say something? Move something? Bring it something?"
Despite her searching Saersha came up with no clue on how to open the doors beyond that it had to do with words on the doors. She looked disgusted as she said, "I'm out of ideas, anyone else?"
We saw a puzzle box a bit ago. You had up unlock it by re-arranging the letters. Maybe this is something similar?
Azura thinks aloud and says, "Well, 'the eyes' is seven letters; 'listen' is six. Could these be anagrams? You have to rearrange the letters to spell something, or push them in a specific order?"
She gets closer to one of the doors and holds the back of her hand near it, gauging the heat.
"Definitely don't want to touch it if possible."
"Saersha, you're smart, maybe there's some kind of divination magic that could give us a clue that inspires you?" she says.
Saersha began to puzzle out the change needed to the words. These were the kind of thing she was good at and she knew she would figure it out eventually. She looked around and asked, "Anyone have a piece of paper I can use? I need to write these out and play with them."
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Azura shrugs her pack off her shoulders and puts it on the ground, then she digs in it and produces a slim booklet bound with a silk ribbon.
"You can scribble in the margins of this book," she says. "I presume you have some ink for use with your spellbook."
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As those with a greater grasp of the arcane pore over the symbols and hidden puzzle within, Ryn keeps a careful watch, standing guard against any sudden surprises.
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"I'm not sure about runes. Give me a good book any day. If you need your library organized. I'm your girl. This puzzle box, Did it have anything to do with this puzzle? Similar words or things like heat?"
She knows better than to look at the book Azura hands over. She got a look a couple of weeks ago, and is still not sure how they managed to do that on page twenty three.
"Libraries are the places with lots of books right? What are they like?" Zev asks Ada, his curiosity piqued.
Saersha took the book for a moment and looked at it. Her lips curved up in a naughty smile as she handed it back and said, "I should have known you'd read something like this." She leaned in close to Azura and whispered in her ear as her breasts brushed lightly against the aasimar's own.
She stepped back and continued to speak, "Your book won't do, I need a piece of paper I can tear up and I won't destroy a book for it." She looked around, "Anyone have a single piece of paper?"
Ulfr pulls out a work and weathered journal, tears out a page, and hands it to Saersha.
Azura takes her slim book back and puts it into her pack, then hefts it up again.
"Thanks Ulfr. We can sort things out later Saersha. Let's stay focused for the moment!"
Azura peers over Saersha's shoulder as the wizardess works on the word puzzle.
"The eyes listen," she mutters under her breath. "Must be some weird eyes."
Nodding her thanks Saersha took the piece of paper and wrote each of the letters down then deftly tore them into separate piece so that each piece of paper had only one piece. She then lay them out and began to work her way through the puzzle methodically.
Azura watches eagerly as Saersha works her "magic," such as it is, and visibly must restrain herself from occasionally pointing and trying to "help."
"Libraries are quiet, and they have lots of books in them. It's so much fun to read them as I'm pulling them and putting them back on the shelves. It's can be pretty private in the stacks lots of time to think." She replies to Ryn.
She goes over to try and help Searsha with figuring out the puzzle.
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A tiny smile touches the corner of Ryn's mouth, seemingly for no particular reason.
There doesn't appear to be a single word that THE EYES can be anagrammed out of... but perhaps there's two as part of a phrase.
"Libraries are quiet, and they have lots of books in them. It's so much fun to read them as I'm pulling them and putting them back on the shelves. It's can be pretty private in the stacks lots of time to think." She replies to Ryn.
She goes over to try and help Searsha with figuring out the puzzle.
”It sounds wonderful,” Zev remarks as Ada heads over to help the lust mage.
"There are some pretty big collections here in the city. Once we get out of this... this... dungeon? cavern? civic works project? - I bet Ada could show you one of them, Zev," notes Azura.
”That sounds fun.”
"I think the one on the right could be an anagram of YES THEE, if it's talking about a person in the old formal tongue... or SEE THEY, or SEETHE Y, or SETH EYE or THESE YE," says Azura dubiously.
Saersha considered the puzzle as it stood. She was focused on The Eyes just now and figured that this must be two words and separate from the other word. What do eyes do?...! She quickly took the paper for "The Eyes" and rearranged them into two different words "They See". She then looked at the word "Listen" and tried to decipher what to do with it.
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When Saersha rearranges the letters into THEY SEE, the door shakes and cools for a moment. The rune tiles slide into the door with a *click*.
What's the opposite of LISTEN?
"Yes! You're so smart," says Azura with a happy bounce.
In a single fluid movement Ryn spins, moving to the back of the huddled group, her shield coming up as she faces the direction of the sound.
Ryn notices the northeast door is ajar.
"Great job. You are so smart." She gives Searsha a smile, and looks stunned as Ryn spins around toward the door. Wha?"
As the more magically adept work on the puzzle, Ryn makes eye contact with Ada, Zev and Ulfr, signing to indicate the door and the possible presence of an enemy.
It's nothing. Ulfr lies. He readies his club and creeps toward the now-open door.
Ulfr creeps through the darkness without making a sound.
The northwest door opens into a lavishly decorated room, with several pieces of furniture clashing with ancient carvings of Thassilonian wizards crafting monsters from deformed bodies decorating the walls. Luxurious crimson Varisian drapes have been pinned up over an archway to the southeast.
They're studying Saersha intently.
Saersha considered the letters and realized that eyes can't hear anything so they can't listen, and they don't make noise so they are silent. Like a thunderbolt she realized the answer. She quickly rearranged the letters of 'Listen' to be 'Silent'. She looked up and said, "I think I've got it!"
The left door shakes and cools as the rearranged runes slide in with a *click*.
There's a moment of silence, and then there's a grating noise as the starmetal doors begin to open inward, brutally scraping against the stone floor of the Crow. A thick layer of dust swirls up as the doors open, revealing an untouched stone corridor leading much, much deeper into the Crow's darkness.
There's a sudden *whooshing* noise that cuts through the air as well--followed by an undignified squeak! and a THUMP. Natalya blinks and rubs the top of her head as if something had just brushed over it.
Lying in the room, having emerged from the shadows, is a female wererat with grey fur, pitch-black armour and a pink nose. Her blue eyes are wide with indignation and disappointment, and sprawled out on the floor before her is a deep grey scarf with knives woven into the end of it.
Embyr and Natalya turn to look at the prone wererat, who scuttles back to her feet and picks up the bladed scarf to try and preserve some of her dignity.
"...well, s%+$." The wererat squeaks.
"Hello Ayala." Embyr says, blinking slowly.
"Are you going to attack us?" Ada asks sounding almost disinterested in Ayala's answer.
Zev awkwardly waves as the wererat... introduces herself.
"Heh, she already tried.....botched it, but she tried." Ryn says in an amused tone. "The real question is, are you going to try something that stupid again, or be like your smarter friends and take the opportunity to leave?"
Despite the amusement in her tone, her confident body language and the edge in her voice carry a warning of the consequences, should Ayala choose poorly.
Ayala grimaces and backs away from Ryn. "Honestly, I was HOPING to at least maim Natalya before I left..."
Natalya glares at the wererat and her hands begin to spark. "...but, listen, I know when I'm out of luck." Ayala starts to inch her way towards the door upstairs. "You help yourselves to whatever's in there. I don't even care anymore."
Her eyes dart towards everyone, glaring at Embyr for a moment before looking back at Ryn. "Evidently, I had a lot of turncoats in my ranks."
With a helpful sniff from Foxy, Ulfr spots the rat just before she makes her appearance. He slowly walks up behind her as she backs away. With her Stanton so fully focused on the others she doesn't even hear him coming. He let's her bump into him to startle her, then growls, No, we're just deadlier than you.