Timbur continues to watch their back as the smart people figure out how to push somebody's button.
Tollo looks at the others, then shrugs and knocks on the door instead of pushing the button.
"Maybe there's some different masked weirdos in here..."
No one responds to Tollo's knock, although since the doors are made of stone, it's possible he wasn't heard.
Loges simply looks expectantly at the door.
The wizard whispers, Oh, by the way, I have only one spell remaining, but I have lots of versatility of which one.
His handy ten-foot pole in his hands, Tollo motions for the rest of the party to fall back. Then, from ten feet away, holding the pole at roughly shoulder level, he presses the button with the pole.
Tollo has to push quite hard on the button to get any kind of result. It finally depresses ... but nothing happens.
"Let's try ta get this wee door open then, shall we?"
Bolgar tries to open the door.
Bolgar rummages around in his bag and pulls out a crowbar.
"If it won't budge, this could help."
The door opens for Bolgar, revealing a 50-foot-long corridor that continues northwards until it ends in another door. Just inside the corridor is a row of eight buttons, similar to the one found outside the door the group in standing in front of. One of these buttons has the same symbol as the one on the button on the other side of the door and is currently depressed.
"Do you want to use the stick again?"
Horek peers toward the far door, to see if there are any buttons next to that one.
Horek indeed sees similar buttons next to the door on the far end of the corridor.
Horek nods toward the far door. "Buttons over there as well. Can't see details though." The others seem hesitant to enter, and the half-orc glances at Tollo. "Do you see any traps? This hallway seems suspicious to me."
Well, I could use my final spell to call an Unseen Servant. He loves walking down potentially hazardous halls.
Tollo can't see very far down the corridor, and without stepping into the corridor can't tell very much, but he does not detect any traps directly in front of the door.
Bolgar steps into the passage and looks around. He examines the buttons carefully.
He pulls out a piece of chalk and makes a mark beside the symbol that matches the one on the other side of the door.
"Hm. I don't recognize any of these symbols. Anyone seen these before?"
Everyone looks at the symbols, but they are unfamiliar to everyone.
Loges casts Comprehend Languages. The wizard then begins studying the symbols.
Horek shifts uneasily, his eyes straining to see more details on the buttons on the far side of the corridor. Noting Loges' intense interest, the half-orc grunts. "Can you tell us anything about those symbols? I don't like the looks of this..."
"Perhaps they are numbers?" says Bolgar.
"In dwarven cities there are often deep shafts underground, and people ascend and descend using a machine that you step into. We call them elevators. Sometimes they have buttons like this."
They don't seem to be numbers or letters, but rather symbols that are not part of a language. You are not sure what they indicate.
Loges shakes his head.
Nothing I recognize.
Bolgar turns to the others.
"Do you wish to experiment? We could push these buttons at random and see what happens. Or we could try the other door."
I suggest we attempt to find more information before experimenting with something that we don't have any clues about.
"Perhaps something close by will provide us with a hope of deciphering them. Lets try the other door."
Horek nods at Zuberi's suggestion, but warns. "Some of us should remain here, in case the corridor is trapped in some way." The half-orc glances at Tollo. "You are skilled in finding traps. Lead the way, and I will be but a step behind."
The group moves into the hallway and to the other other, everyone looking around desperately for signs of traps, but finding none. The far door is likewise safe, so Zuberi opens it, revealing another long corridor that ends in a t-junction approximately 70 feet farther on.
Looking on the other side of the door that was just opened, you find another single button marked with the same symbol you found on the other button.
"If this wair an elevator, it would nae be unheard of to hae a door at either end... but it would be rare. Rare indeed."
"Shall we see what else there is to find on this level without pushing buttons?"
Bolgar advances carefully up the corridor and peeks around the corners at either side of the "T" junction.
The eastern corridor continues for 40 feet before turning to the right, while the western one goes on for 50 feet and turns south; there are no doors, alcoves, or similar interruptions in either one, and both seem very quiet.
Loges frustratingly looks at the new button. The curious wizard presses it...
Zuberi starts looking for traps and secret doors along the apparently empty western corridor, if he finds none he'll go east.
Loges frustratingly looks at the new button. The curious wizard presses it...
Loges pushes the button once everyone is clear of the interstitial corridor. With a whoosh, the door on both ends of the hallway slam shut and there is a momentary sound of stone grinding against stone.
Zuberi starts looking for traps and secret doors along the apparently empty western corridor, if he finds none he'll go east.
Zuberi does not notice any traps or secret doors along the western corridor.
With a sigh he heads down the eastern passage keeping alert for traps and secret doors knowing how cunning and treacherous those who constructed this place had been so far.
Loges frustratingly looks at the new button. The curious wizard presses it...Loges pushes the button once everyone is clear of the interstitial corridor. With a whoosh, the door on both ends of the hallway slam shut and there is a momentary sound of stone grinding against stone.
"Och, sounds like an elevator..."
The party moves ahead down the eastern corridor, which ends in a doorway. After careful checking, the door is opened only to reveal a small room that looks like a ruined chapel that has been looted and deliberately wrecked. A stone altar has been smashed and no ceremonial equipment can be seen. The word "Zargon" has been scrawled on the wall in large Kelish letters.
Totally engrossed in the Kellish descriptions, the wizard doesn't notice anything else!
"Zargon, huh? The evil unicorn guy, right?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Timbur, so intent on looking about, fails to notice Tollo standing in his way, and nearly bowls him over.
Bolgar enters the room and begins looking around.
"Apparently these Zargonites are also vandals. I wonder whose shrine this was before they sacked it?"
As Bolgar enters the far end of the room, the ground beneath him begins to move. A 10' by 20' section begins to slowly tilt down with the dwarf on board until it finally comes to rest on the floor of the room below.
Using his darkvision, Bolgar can see that the room below is a tomb of some kind with murals on the wall, and a small coffin in a niche in the eastern wall. A large brass jar sits in each of the four corners of the chamber.
[dice=Perception]1d20+6
Timbur, so intent on looking about, fails to notice Tollo standing in his way, and nearly bowls him over.
Tollo tumbles onto his feet, giving Timbur a death glare.
”Personal space mean anything to you, guy?”
"Helloooo up thair!" calls Bolgar. "Care te throw daun a rope?"
"I seem ta be in some kind o' tomb."
Bolgar begins looking around and tries to describe the murals on the walls to those above.
Zurberi calls out just as Bolgar steps forward and winces.
"Sorry Bolgar I only noticed it just before you stepped on the area." He proceeds to take a rope from his pack and lower it down to Bolgar. "One second, anything interesting down there?" He moves around the altar to make it easier on himself. "Climb up when you are ready." He braces himself.
"I kin see a coffin an' some brass jars. And murals on the walls."
Timbur helps Tollo up. ”Sorry. Sometimes I get clumsy.”
Tollo accepts the help up, dusting himself off even though he's already thoroughly dusty and filthy from the crawlspace of slime.
"How come you never trip over him?", he says pointing to Loges.
After Bolgar descends below, Tollo rubs his hands together.
"Well, I know what I have to do. Check the coffin, make sure our loot isn't gonna hurt us."
The murals on the wall show a court scene showing a king and queen being entertained by a dwarven jester. Although Bolgar is not an expert in the archaic form of Kelish used in the pyramid, he thinks that he can make out two names associated with the nobles: Alexander and Zenobia.
Loges quickly bowls over Tollo on his way down to view the findings.
Excuse me!