Corbyn, from what he can see, thinks the statue looks pretty mundane. No visible signs of magic, just a marble statue of a nobleman.
"The magic is definitely necromancy. Could be all sorts of energy drain or death effects," she says, pondering on what could happen in a worst case scenario.
"Somebody has a mirror? Maybe I can uncover it from the back, and use a mirror to see it's face, with Desna protecting over me, while you take cover."
"If you want to try it, go ahead, Ruperta. But be careful...I'm not sure even a mirror will make it safe."
"Desna's blessing will be my main protection. So, anyone has a mirror?"
A mirror is produced!
Ruperta climbs the statue and removes the bag covering its head, revealing the stern, scowling face of a handsome human man with the flinty eyes of a warrior and a sneer of disdain over perfect, if somewhat overlarge, teeth. However no sooner has she seen this than a strange compulsion washes over her.
She climbs down without a backwards glance at the statue and walks over to the small tower, where a rickety ladder leads to a trapdoor above. She begins to climb.
"Ruperta, where are you going?"
"I think there is something bad in this room. I prefer to go up here, we will be safer!"
"Safer from what? This whole place is a mess."
"The statue's aura is now on Ruperta. Slumper, you need to grab her before she runs into trouble!"
Slumper attemps to grab Ruperta before she makes it out of the room.
Grapple
Slumper is able to grab Ruperta as she begins to climb the ladder upward, stopping her!
[b]"Do any of you know how to cast a Break Enchantment spell? If not, we are going to have to take a quick break and go back to get Ruperta straightened out."{/b]
Sial's eyes narrow while Laori shakes her head, sadly but yet oddly perky still. Sial murmurs a quick prayer under his breath. "I can summon a denizen of the Realms of Shadow who may remove such curses. But will your pious friend allow such a thing? To owe me such a favor may not... sit well with her strict sensibilities." He licks his lips, seeming to enjoy the implications of such a bargain.
"What if I offer you my services in the future? Surely you could find more use for someone with my skills than the temporary pleasure you would get out of having the Dreamer's Cleric as a plaything. Besides, we would solve the puzzles of this place much faster if we aren't standing around discussing the sensibilities of our healer."
"Sial, you all want us to succeed just the same as us. If we don't, things won't go well for you either. If you can help, just do so and stop with your dumb games. If Corbyn wants to play, that's fine, but don't hold it over Ruperta's head.". Pai didn't like Sial nearly as much as the female cleric of Zon Kuthon.
Slumper gives a silent nod of thanks to Corbyn with a pained look in his eyes.
Sial looks hard at Corbyn. "Very well. It will take me a moment to prepare the ritual." He begins to remove materials from his pouches, drawing complex symbols on the floor in chalk and murmuring words. Finally he draws a silver knife and drags it along his arm, shivering as the pain builds. There is a flash of darkness, and a shadowy form appears in front of Sial. They exchange words in a slippery tongue, then the shadow creature turns to Ruperta and reaches toward her, stopping only inches from her forehead. With a word there is a sense of lightness in the air, then the shadow creature is gone. Sial straightens up, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. Ruperta has stopped struggling and seems to come back to herself.
"Well, that was positively frightening. Thanks, Sial, I think. Are you okay, Ruperta? That crazy statue put some sort of magical hold on you. I hope you aren't too mad at us for having Sial help..."
Ruperta struggles against Slumper, trying to get away from the shadowy form.
"Don't let him touch me!"
After the enchantment is broken, she hugs to her lover and weeps.
"Sorry, I am so sorry. I should be stronger."
After she regains her senses she goes towards Sial.
"Thank you. And I should pay my own debts, no need for Corbyn, which is a dear friend, to pay for me. I owe you. And I will repay this favor."
Pai was glad that both groups were able to avoid violence. "Let's leave that statue alone and head into the next room. We've got work to do, you know."
"I wonder what is up there. What is the master of the trap?"
She moves to the trapdoor, and puts her hand over it, without opening.
This small chamber is nondescript save for two trap doors— one in the floor, another in the ceiling fifteen feet above. Four narrow windows look out over the castle rooftops. The room’s only feature is a single shriveled dwarven corpse huddled at the base of the west wall, its bony arms locked firmly around its bent knees, its parchment-thin skin dried and cracked in places, revealing the bones beneath. A bushy, gray beard still covers much of its skull-like jaw line, though portions have fallen out into its lap. Next to it is a small coil of string and a pile of tiny bones with a few black feathers interspersed among them.
"Seems clear, but a body... I guess I can go in to check. I can Teleport out if needed, and you can come in if you hear me scream. Whatever put the trap thinks I am under the effect of its spell, and I can use that in my favor."
She opens the trapdoor and enters the room, no weapons in hand, and trying to looks scared.
She moves towards the body, without taking her eyes from the second trapdoor.
Pai shakes her head, scared for her friend's well being. Did Ruperta get bonked on the head, too? This is scary.
Slumper runs to keep up with Ruperta as she is moving around so purposefully after her recent ordeal.
"Should we really go where a evil statue wants you to go?"
Before going up, Ruperta winks and give a kiss to Paxs on his Cheek.
She also kiss Slumper, but more passionately.
"I do it because I know you will be there to protect me, always."
Corbyn leans against a wall, folds his arms, and watches the events.
Ruperta climbs the ladder, pressing the trapdoor above open. Aside from the dessicated skeleton, this room is empty. In the ceiling above is another trapdoor, but it's 10 feet up with no visible way to access it.
•"I think we should take one level at a time. Last thing we need are bad things coming at us from every direction."
Ruperta checks the skeleton while keeping an eye on the trapdoor.
The skeleton has only rotting clothes and a book that it clutches that falls apart when you pick it up. The title seemed to refer to some sort of historical text.
Ruperta takes part of the skeleton (a finger bone perhaps) to see if she can revive it later (or at least know who it was) with magic.
Slumper looks around to see if there is anything hidden
Despite Slumper's spying, nothing seems to be hidden in the room.
"Are you coming down here, or do we all need to climb up there?"
"We are coming back down."
Slumper begins to move Ruperta back down to the lower level.
Slumper glances at Pai and mouths apologies.
"A poor soul died there, I guess as I would have died if you haven't saved me, afraid and alone."
"Thank goodness you two are all right. I was not looking forward to going up there."
"Okay, we got lucky yet again. Let's keep plodding through this level, then we can go check out all the upstairs areas. Corbyn, if you don't mind, make sure we aren't wandering into anything crazy awful."
The statue's mocking smile still pierces, but as you avoid its gaze the curse does not seem to find you.
Corbyn searches the door carefully, but finding no traps, opens it to reveal a vast ballroom. This vast, grand ballroom is constructed in a floral shape with a high, vaulted roof of intricately wrought glass panes bearing a slight rose tint but nevertheless providing a breathtaking view of the sky above. Clover-shaped pillars support key portions of the roof above the polished floor of stained cherry, and a wide dais provides room for an orchestra to play or stage performance to occur. A few broken chairs have been pushed into the corners, but otherwise this room is empty.
However, sudden ballroom music seems to fill the room, a discordant waltz that sounds both terrible and desperate all at once. You look up in time to see a specral dance that swirls along the ceiling and starts to float downward toward you! Dozens of ghostly figures swirl and cavort, floating through the air as they follow the steps of an ancient, rhythmic dance—seemingly keeping time with the ebb and flow of life itself. Amid this eerie crowd of dancing specters looms a dark cloaked figure wielding a scythe, an ominous wraith with the dreaded countenance of Death itself.
Initiative!
Round 1:
27 Corbyn
26 Pai, Ruperta and the Dance
23 Slumper
21 Asyra
13 Paxs and Thrak
9 Laori
3 Sial