Quasit notices that two of the bricks just beyond the doorway they group just teleported back through do not look quite like they belong.
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"Hey Fin, what do you think of that spear hanging there?" she calls out.
Hearing her call out, Fin nods and moves over alongside Quasit to take a look at the spear...
"Hmmm...it's pointing east...not sure if that means anything. Many Wood Elves preferred the spear...this kinda looks familiar, let me try to recall.."
She steps back and looks up at the strange horrible fanged woman painting.
"Who is this supposed to be? Lammashtu?"
Fin recoils a bit from the painting, saying, "Not sure, Q...she's a beauty, no doubt," as he tries to remember if he's seen this 'lady' before...
Unsure of the painting’s meaning, you can tell that all the weapons are useable even if you aren’t fully sure of their nature.
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"Or they might be the keys we're looking for." Quasit answers, shrugging. "We won't actually use any of this stuff until Tezzie has some time to study it."
She goes and pulls down the cold iron scimitar from the wall and stows that away as well. "Someone grab the magic spear."
She then heads for the door at the far right of the map and goes to open the door. She will not step through the door before checking for SPECIAL TELEPORTING BRICKS.
Quasit is met with another locked door, but is at least fairly sure that nothing on this side of the door seems amiss.
Sakitu glances curiously at the other passages and door out of the area as Quasit examines the lock.
Selena examines the magic of the items before touching any of them.
Quasit easily takes care of the lock while Selena manages to identify the spear, a +1 giant-bane longspear.
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Fin admires the spear after Selena identifies it. ”Ahhh, nice job Selena...this looks like a fine weapon for us, then...especially when we run into those evil Centaurs and Frost Giants. Bull, perhaps you’d be best in holding this...you could put it to far better use when we run into those bastards...”
The Elf holds out the spear to Bulvi...
Findurel finds before him a passage that cures to his left, leading to a stairway that slopes upward to another door.
The key fits, but doesn’t engage the lock.
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"Well it as worth a shot. I wonder what that key opens anyway?" says Quasit as she pulls out her tools. As she settles to her knees in front of the door, she begins to chatter as she works.
"You know, it'd be nice if once in a while I could do this where it wasn't completely dark." She taps gently with her probe inside the tiny hole, discovering the contours of the lock mechanism. "All these locked doors reminds me of this one time in Oppara. My brother had some connections there who were being less than forthcoming on what they owed us. So we busted into the place to help ourselves. Tiggy kept the boys busy up front -- Tiggy was Colin's girlfriend in Oppara -- and Colin and I climbed in through a second story window. And then, I kid you not..."
As she holds one tumbler in place, she pushes in a second probe with her free hand and tries rotating her wrists in unison, but the second pick slips its position and falls back into the crook of her hand.
"Dangit! These old locks are always so crusty -- this thing probably hasn't been opened in years!" She settles in to try again. "Where was I?... Oh yeah. No lights of course, and Colin was being his usual positive self, harassing me the whole time, and we had to pick our way through no less than 5 different locks to get at what we wanted, and all before poor Tiggy got overwhelmed downstairs. The trick when you can't see what you're doing ... is not to try... just let the tools do the work and let your fingertips... be your eyes..."
She rotates her wrists again, and a click comes from inside the door. Satisfied, Quasit settles back on her haunches and draws a sleeve across her brow.
"I wonder if Tiggy is still putting up with Colin. I liked her."
Beyond the now unlocked door you find ten mausoleum facades protrude from the walls around the perimeter of this cavern. Above each door is a keystone engraved with a name. Throughout the room stand ten life sized statues of proud, matronly women. The women are all barefoot and similarly dressed, but they each have their own unique appearance. Some are wear feathered cloaks or bone necklaces, others clutch gnarled staves or carry brooms, and a few have a raven or an owl perched upon their shoulders.
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Sakitu admires her friend's ability with locks. "I don't know how you do that Quasit. I mean, it's like your own sort of magic."
Quasit smiles proudly at the compliment as she puts her tools away in her pack. She shrugs. "It's just practice. Anyone can do it really."
And then the door opens. Her smile vanishes and she groans.
"Oh great. A witch crypt. THIS is going to go well."
"Normally at this point I'd say we should turn around and leave a place like this alone. But those keys could be hidden anywhere, so I guess we need to look around. But you can bet these old witches probably put all sorts of nasty wards and curses over their tombs, so be SUPER careful about what you touch."
She moves to one of the matronly statues and pokes at the raven on its shoulder with her sword tip.
"Friend of yours, Tezzie?" she japes over her shoulder.
Quasit smiles proudly at the compliment as she puts her tools away in her pack. She shrugs. "It's just practice. Anyone can do it really.
"I mean I can melt the lock and kick the door open, but I've only ever broken those little metal tooth picks." Maka said as she started poking around in search of the keys.
"I wish we were trying to save Irori instead of Baba Yaga, that way we'd just have good honest fights and tests of mental and physical perfection instead of all these trickety trick tricks and digging around in magic garbage."
Sakitu does detect magic throughout the room, with some time specifics may become clear. Beyond the presence of magic, nothing else seems present.
After more time, Sakitu is able to determine that the source of the magic is several, similar - perhaps even the same - type of magic coming from each of the ten doors.
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"I mean I can melt the lock and kick the door open, but I've only ever broken those little metal tooth picks."
"Well, yeah, but then you have a broken burning door, and you made a lot of noise. Sometimes subtle is better." suggests Quasit cheerfully.
"I wish we were trying to save Irori instead of Baba Yaga, that way we'd just have good honest fights and tests of mental and physical perfection instead of all these trickety trick tricks and digging around in magic garbage."
"No arguments here on that one. I've had enough witches and curses and tricks to last me a lifetime." says Quasit as she examines one of the doors.
As she works, she keeps up the chatter. "Maka, I know you like to fight and spar and tussle and lannat hai and all that, but have you ever seriously gotten into it with someone and just had your ass handed to you? I mean like laid-up-in-bed-for-a-few-days-beat-up? I'm not a huge fan of brawling because most of the time in my life if I tried to punch my way out of a situation, me and my twiggy little arms have usually gotten smeared. Usually thanks to my brothers."
Selena looks around and after the general check for magic, she checks the statues to see if she recognizes any. "With the magic doors, this seems like a hub of some sort, similar to the hut."
As she works, she keeps up the chatter. "Maka, I know you like to fight and spar and tussle and lannat hai and all that, but have you ever seriously gotten into it with someone and just had your ass handed to you? I mean like laid-up-in-bed-for-a-few-days-beat-up? I'm not a huge fan of brawling because most of the time in my life if I tried to punch my way out of a situation, me and my twiggy little arms have usually gotten smeared. Usually thanks to my brothers.
"Oh yeah, a whole bunch of times!" Maka's face beamed with pride. "Those are some of the best fights! And the Dragon's Eye Monastery has some super strong champions and masters. Especially my master, Prisha. She's Suji's mom and also controls water. She's whooped me good more times than I can count."
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Quasit shakes her head and laughs. "Maka, you're crazy. I think you like pain. If you'd like, I can periodically sneak up behind you and womp you over the head with a rock, just for funsies."
Quasit wanders over to Tezuzu *really casually* and speaks quietly to him.
Maka laughs along with Quasit. "Yeah I guess I kinda do. Pain can go along with pleasure real nice, or be pleasurable on it's own. Like pain you earn, like from a good work out or fight. I'd punch a rock until my knuckles were bloody and the rock broke, but I wouldn't stab myself in the leg. Because that would just hurt, you know? Also pain can be the best teacher."
Findurel notices a wax that seems to be carefully applied in the gap around each door way in such a way that it is difficult, even for his keen eyes to notice. Quasit isn’t sure if it is a trap or not. It could be the source of the magic aura, but Sakitu doesn’t notice it without the elf’s help.
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Maka laughs along with Quasit. "I'd punch a rock until my knuckles were bloody and the rock broke, but I wouldn't stab myself in the leg. Because that would just hurt, you know?"
This one seems to legitimately puzzle Quasit. "I don't really see the difference." she admits.
"Also pain can be the best teacher."
She looks over her shoulder at Bulvi. "Are you getting all this? Next time we go the market, while I shop for cinnamon buns, you need to be looking for a whip. For educational purposes." she jokes.
Then she makes her way over to the door Findurel has been studying and gets more serious again. "I know you have better eyes than me, especially in this gloomy place. What am I missing? She takes a good look at the door again.
"I know we've been trying to leave no stone unturned in here, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this place, and I don't feel like the keys would be hidden here. Like, most of this place has been puzzles and tricks and surprises, but this room just feels... I don't know... like it's off limits. Or backstage, or something. I'm not sure we want to start breaking into these tombs." she confides to the elf.
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"Oh yeah, a whole bunch of times!" Maka's face beamed with pride. "Those are some of the best fights! And the Dragon's Eye Monastery has some super strong champions and masters. Especially my master, Prisha. She's Suji's mom and also controls water. She's whooped me good more times than I can count."
Fin, recalling the many times that Maka had kicked his ass in monk training, nods, murmuring, "Maka, remind me never to spar with your master..."
"Also pain can be the best teacher."
The Elf concurs, rubbing an old bruise on his behind, "Aye, I'm a living testimony to that..."
Then she makes her way over to the door Findurel has been studying and gets more serious again. "I know you have better eyes than me, especially in this gloomy place. What am I missing? She takes a good look at the door again.
Fin points, but doesn't touch, to the thin wax sealed within the door. "It's hard to see...but it's here, lining the edges of the door and frame...I think it must be a trap, but you are far more skilled than I in that arena..."
"I know we've been trying to leave no stone unturned in here, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this place, and I don't feel like the keys would be hidden here. Like, most of this place has been puzzles and tricks and surprises, but this room just feels... I don't know... like it's off limits. Or backstage, or something. I'm not sure we want to start breaking into these tombs." she confides to the elf.
Fin nods. "Aye, Q...something about this place gives me the willies...but if you think this is a trap that you can disarm, I'll do my best to assist...if it's a magical trap though, I'll be of little use...maybe Tez, Saki, or Selena can try to detect magic on this wax?"
Sakitu and Quasit just aren’t sure about the wax. It may be magical, but the type of magic just isn’t clear.
Selena will help out with a take 10 to assist.
Even with Selena’s help, the nature of the magic is unclear. Perhaps Tezuzu can help.
Tezuzu quickly surmises that the wax around the doors will bestow a curse to any who break the seal by opening the doors.