"anyone good with doors and traps and such?" Leithe asks as she examines what appears to be a door. "I have no such skills myself"
"What the-? What did you do that for?" Jaru asks, surprised by Leithe's action. "I con't think that was just any old crow..."
"It wasn't and I'm not sure why I did that... I don't even really remembering doing it, just suddenly it was done. But now we know where the door is, so it kept its word at least."
"Magic in a magician's tower? Go figure," Mikraft says. "Stand back and I'll take a look for traps."
Leithe stands back and lets Mikraft work his craft.
Xylas frowns looking about as Mikraft works. "Was it an evil spirit? Do you think it is still around?"
"I don't trouble myself with such things until they try to kill me."
Mikraft doesn't find any traps on the door.
Xylas gives one more suspicious glance around the room and then opens the door to continue.
The door leads to a long hallway, which bends around until the floor drops away up ahead. The space is filled with a thick, foul-smelling sludge. A narrow ledge, about half a foor in length, runs along the wall, which looks like it could be traversed if done carefully, but it stops 20 feet from the end of the sludge pit.
Xylas just shakes his head clucking tongue. "This place is worse than one of those travelling carnival Funny Houses."
"Well," Xylas sighs. "I have some rope. A boat would probably be better though; it's a long jump there."
Leithe considers the possibilities and doesn't really like any of them. "Perhaps someone with a bow could shoot an arrow tied to a rope across and lodge it into something on the other side and we could hand-over-hand it over to the other side? Or perhaps just go another way? Look for something elsewhere that might help us cross?"
On the other side of the pit the floor continues.
"I'm thinking that this is the only way forward and I reckon that it is too far to jump." Xylas says. "I could shoot an arrow over there, but don't have a proper hook to catch something." Xylas carefully ambles to the end of the ledge and with his dagger tied to the end of his line lowers it into the water to sound the depths.
The dagger appears unharmed by the sludge, but the rope begins to be slowly eaten away by the sludge, although the rate it is destroyed at means that it's likely not very acidic, but still harmful.
Xylas quickly pulls up his dagger and looks sadly at the damaged end of his rope. "That's no good. So how did they get across?"
Xylas looks at the wall and floor for any sign of a bridge or way to cross the gap.
"Perhaps if we can get across quickly, I can clean everyone up as they cross with a spell called prestidigitation... But of course that means I would have to go first and get there before the rest of you. Want me to try it on myself first?"
Xylas nods. "If you don't mind. I'm not much of a swimmer. I'll keep you covered." He draws an arrow.
Leithe tries to get across the sludge to the other side... getting a running start, then jumping as far as she can and swimming the rest of the way...
If possible, Leithe will leave one end of her rope with someone on the other side before crossing, with the rest of the rope tied around her waist... that way they will have a rope stretched between the two sides to make it easier for others to cross.
Leithe very nearly clears the pit, and easily is able to scramble to the other side taking no real damage.
Leithe casts prestidigitation on herself on the other side just to make sure it doesn't have any lingering affects. Then she holds the rope taut for the next person to cross if they need it.
With Diana bracing the other end of the rope around the corner, Xylas hangs from a knee pulling himself along underneath and hoping that his companions can keep him above the murk.
Diana nearly makes it, and gets lightly singed by the acidic sludge, before you can throw her a rope.
Xylas shakes his head. "I wonder if this is why the tower fell down. There are pools of burning slime under it." Xylas inspects the state of his rope and makes sure Diana's injuries are minor, then nods to the others that he's ready to continue.
When Diana finishes the crossing, Leithe will cast prestidigitation on her so she will hopefully not take any more damage.
"This kind of mess is why I usually stay out of wizards' towers."
The pool doesn't appear to have been the reason ofthe collapse, as there's no structualr damage anwhere near it.
The corridor turns again, goes down a long ways before ending at a door.
"Anyone wanna guess what's behind this one? Maybe you better check it first, Mikraft.
"All right, all right, let's take a look."
The door does not appear to be trapped. Inside the door is a small square room, with another door beyond it.
"Fine, I'll take the lead."
Mikraft finds that the entire floor of the next room is a pit trap, although one that is opened by some trigger, rather that weight.
"A trap?" Xylas asks with alarm. "What is it? Can you get rid of it?"
"Good question."
Mikraft breaks the hinges enabling the pit to open, disabling it. A voice sounds as he disables it.
"Please present the crest for passage."
"Crest? You don't think he's talking about that plaque with the rooster and the spears? You fixed it right?" he asks Mikraft.
Xylas trusts Mikraft's work and opens the next door.