Li continues to watch attentively from the sidelines. Rich people be very strange. Who be collectin' people an' buildin' dungeons? More money tha' brains, that be fer certain.
Her mind starts racing at the mention of secured cells and playful dungeons. Her talents may prove useful but it'll also mean she'll be putting herself in peril making sure the others don't get caught in any traps. But one thing was certain, they needed to free both Vencarlo and the seneschal.
"What ya be tellin' Melyia when she be returnin' ta find us havin' liberat'd people from her collection?"
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It takes all of Yaziyah's willpower and composure to not strangle Lord Arkona then and there. Was everything a game to these nobles? To have two such men at hand, and just... just, toy with them? Useless! What fool she had been, to think that these people could be relied upon for any kind of help. It seemed that, once again, it was on her and her companions to set things right. She has no idea what awaits them in the dungeons below, but she doesn't care much in this moment, cold fury coursing through her like a thunderstorm.
She snorts at Li's question. Who cares what excuse this pathetic man will find? The head of his house, supposedly, but he lets his sister run amok and do as she pleases. What strange family. She waits with arms crossed for the others to finish their business.
His words were high-sounding, it was true, but for all their finery they still leave Mouse shaking with rage. Building dungeons filled with unknown horrors, trapping people inside like playthings - and he could speak of it so casually! The only thing that keeps her composure is Glorio's comment that he could provide some information that would give something at least resembling safe passage. Anything that got Vencarlo and the seneschal out faster was valuable, and this man was how they'd get it...but that didn't mean she had to like him. "Well, tell us 'ow t' git down an' we will. 'Less your lips're tied too - y' seem t' be tied up somethin' fierce for one tha's supposed t' be master o' the 'ouse."
"What ya be tellin' Melyia when she be returnin' ta find us havin' liberat'd people from her collection?"
”Leave that to me” he says in a reassuring manner.
"Well, tell us 'ow t' git down an' we will. 'Less your lips're tied too - y' seem t' be tied up somethin' fierce for one tha's supposed t' be master o' the 'ouse."
Glorio is unphased by Mouse’s sharp rebuke. ”I will show you. Have you had enough refreshment? Very well. This way, please.” He stands, brushing aside his fine blue cloak, and leads you from the room.
At the end of the hall, you pass by a fourteen-foot-tall marble statue of a six-armed woman with four faces on her head—one looking to each of the four cardinal directions—standing under a dome of colored glass. The statue wields numerous weapons in its six hands, and a small kneeler at its base gives a place to pay respects to whatever deity the statue represents. Each of the statue’s eight eyes is a sparkling bright green orb. ”Chamidu,” Glorio explains, ”a Vudrani goddess with an affinity toward the wild things of the world.”
Servants are at the ready to open a large set of double doors that open into a vestibule, then another set of doors.
The chamber beyond hardly seems to be part of a palace, but looks more like a clearing at the heart of a vast jungle, teeming with life. The sky above is a deep, cloudless blue, while in the distance, hazy towers rise above the verdant canopy. Exotic bird calls fill the air, the scent of dozens of unfamiliar flowers and plants assault the nose, and everywhere a riot of color demands the eye, whether it’s the wing of a tropical bird, the petals of a brightly hued flower, or the glittering multicolored tiles that make up a round fountain to the north. The fountain’s central plume is a stone pillar around which entwine two cobra statues that clutch green gems in their fanged maws. To the south of the fountain stands an immense, life-sized jade statue of an elephant, a howdah perched on its back, its tusks and trunk raised high in greeting to the southeast doors. From inside the room, the doors look more like gates set into a wrought-iron fence that encircles the garden. Other gates set in this fence doubtless lead to other parts of the palace, and after a bit more observation, the somewhat static nature of the jungle and landscape becomes apparent—the walls of this garden are in fact an incredibly realistic and clever painting of a Vudrani junglescape.
”Clever tricks,” Glorio says with a smile, obviously quite proud of his garden. ”Although the animals and plants are very much alive. This, here--” he says as he steps nearer the massive jade elephant, ”--is actually one of our defensive measures. Had you done what I am about to do without my assistance, you would have found yourselves trampled under its weight.” He turns toward the statute and calls out in a clear voice, ”Chamidu is blind,” before stepping toward the center of the platform. ”Now, then.” He steps on a small pressure plate. The entire disc slowly rotates 180 degrees. As it does so, a curved opening appears, granting access to a flight of spiral stairs that descend beneath the ground. ”When you return, the door can be opened by pressing a second switch, hidden in the wall twenty feet down the stairs. The door remains open ten minutes before automatically sealing shut, and may also be closed by pressing one of the pressure plates a second time.”
”You will find that the stairs descend to a cave with ledges and bridges overlooking water. When you have reached the bottom, the very bottom, you will find a secret door in the cave wall that will lead you to the dungeons themselves. The dungeon is actually a labyrinth, its tunnels and rooms shifting on a mechanical chassis. The labyrinth can be controlled and adjusted by pulling key levers that rotate its four sections. Within the labyrinth you will find both of the men you seek.”
”Truly, I wish I could be of more help to you, but the strange circumstances of late have impacted us all in unexpected ways.” He bows. ”I wish you good fortune as you navigate Meliya’s challenges below. I look forward to your return, when we might discuss a joint venture, and a brighter future for Korvosa.”
The Vivified Labyrinth is rumored to be a dungeon, a maze, and a gauntlet, but a first hand account has never been confirmed, other than by a member of your family, I'd presume, Lord Arkona...I must balk at least slightly. You have been nothing but a generous and princely host, but I confess, if a Lord offers a stay in the Lord's dungeon, one does not usually accept the invitation willingly.
"Of course I understand. This is most unusual. And know that you are free to leave the palace right now, with your bellies full and my well-wishes for your future. If you seek Orisini and Kalepopolis, however, I fear I don't see that you have much choice. What choice remains, though, I leave entirely to you."
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Lord Talfryn has been watching and holding his tongue all this while, not trusting himself to speak. To lash out at this ridiculously privileged man, insulated from the common concerns of the world by an ungodly amount of wealth and status.
His voice, when he speaks, is barely restrained, quiet for the amount of control he exerts.
"You are no different than the beggar king we dethroned in Old Khorvosa, are you my lord? Both intent on your perverted amusements. Both willing to sacrifice the finest of men without qualm or pity. Both so out of touch with the world outside that you have grown alien, inbred, twisted. I gaze upon all this... finery... and see no difference from Pilts' depraved environs."
Lord Talfryn draws himself up. "Not that I expect you to care. But let this serve notice. Khorvosa is changing. The righteous are turning against the evil and corrupt. Your days, like Pilts, are numbered."
Then, not caring what the nobleman says, he stomps forward, walking stick clicking across the floor, to enter the curved opening and begin his ascent below.
The frown on Garvid face hesitates very little as the exchange with Lord Arkona. The sight of food and drink seems to send him into a blank-eyed stare, almost as if he's struggling against himself to not last out against the owner of the house. "What fresh fu-", he squeezes out as the mention of the Seneschal and Vencarlo being collected by Melyia. but a bellowy exhale seems to put him back, if not in a calm state of mind, at least in control. "We'll be having a talk with your sister, it seems."
The sight of the jungle, and the beating of Glorio's honeyed words, however, seems to pause him for a brief moment. Hells. Is this what Vudra's like? So damn disorganised. Is this where tigers live? His eyes glance at the luscious plants and tall grasses with the displeased look of a lifelong urbanite. Why the hell are they orange when the grass is green? Staring down at the six-armed statue with ill-conceived mistrust, he grunts out in agreement as Talfryn's jibe, as he sets down the opening.
"Can't say I'm usually on this side of the dungeons...", he rumbles out. "And I'm betting socks to sails that there's a lot worse things here than the jailor's piss in your oats."
My Lord Talfryn Blackoak is most opinionated, if not direct, about Korvosa. I suppose that is the purview of the Great and Lesser Houses alike, but we must not let hot words detain us further from the good work that must be done now. We are of a single mind on this point; we will submit ourselves to this Arkona machination.
I must ask you, though, before descending: Are you and your sister at odds?
Li gawks at the jade elephant while Glorio Arkona opens up the entrance into the labyrinth. "I don't be supposin' we c'n just be waitin' fer yer sister ta get back an' then make her be releasin' Vencarlo an' tha seneschal?"
I be wonderin' who really be in charge o' tha Arkonas. Could Melyia really be collectin' people an' be usin' 'em as playthin's if'n it be against Glorio's wishes?
Seeing Talfryn move towards the stairs, Li moves quickly to intercept him. "Better be lettin' me go first. We can't be trustin' anythin' an' I be pretty good at findin' traps."
Mouse takes up position behind Li, gawking at the strangeness of the scene surrounding her. If anything was going to jump out at her friend, Mouse wanted to be there to face it - but maybe 's for the better 's not that green stone elephant.
"You are no different than the beggar king we dethroned in Old Khorvosa, are you my lord? Both intent on your perverted amusements. Both willing to sacrifice the finest of men without qualm or pity. Both so out of touch with the world outside that you have grown alien, inbred, twisted. I gaze upon all this... finery... and see no difference from Pilts' depraved environs. Not that I expect you to care. But let this serve notice. Khorvosa is changing. The righteous are turning against the evil and corrupt. Your days, like Pilts, are numbered."
To his credit, Glorio absorbs the rebuke with barely a bristle. His answer is calm, yet cool. ”I see one difference between the emperor and I, Lord Talfryn, and it is that I offer you a hand in alliance. Whereas the emperor used his power to wreak havoc, I am trying to rebuild our city.”
”Are you and your sister at odds?”
”I don't be supposin' we c'n just be waitin' fer yer sister ta get back an' then make her be releasin' Vencarlo an' tha seneschal?"
”Cousin,” Glori corrects, ”Meliya is my cousin. Perhaps I misspoke. We are no more at odds than any other family! The means at our disposal to effectuate the odd, petty squabble no doubt amplify the degree of such quarrels in the eye of an observer. As to your idea, Ms. Li, well it is flawed on two accounts. I do not know when Meliya shall grace us with her presence, as she has taken to keeping her own schedule now that that conditions on the island have come to what they are. Second, there is no making her do anything. Ha! I assure you.”
Despite his companion's strong views of this family, Leah found himself impressed with Glorio. Civil war brings off bed fellows together.
Cousin, pardon. I misspoke. I was preoccupied by the possibility that that we will enter into conflict with Meliya, and if so, whether you have any requests on how that may be conducted, your erm, affection for your family widely acknowledged. Show us this entrance, and provide any parting advice you may.
Yaziyah frowns as Glorio corrects Kynes. He said 'my sister' earlier... What was going on here? What twisted people, and their twisted words! This lord may appear sincere and earnest, but that doesn't meant that she should trust him. She gives Kynes a sharp look. Indeed, what if they run into Meliya? Would Glorio grieve for her? Or would he celebrate?
Glorio frowns, his handsome features drawn into a mask of vexation. "Meliya's behavior has grown more and more concerning. Erratic. I fear even I do not know what she has grown capable of. Whatever that is, her errant decisions have followed her home, it seems. I ask that you show whatever restraint you can. Of course, you will surely face grave dangers below and may need to fight for your very lives. In which case, I cannot ethically ask you to stay your hand. You must do what you must, for your own safety. Know that I am prepared for the inevitable. We may sort out the cards once they are cast. In this I hope you sense my sincerity and the virtue in my cause: to end the madness that is gripping our city."
Glorio steps aside, clearing the way for you to climb down the winding stairs. "This is as far as I shall take you. Now, go. Travel as far down as you can. Find the hidden doorway in the stone. Free Orisini and Kalepopolis from Meliya's clutches. Do not let my betrayal be in vain."
Li begins to get a headache with all the wordplay going on...sister, cousin, and how was it that the head of the Arkona family couldn't make a member of the family do his bidding? At this rate, it will be faster and more relaxing to go into the labyrinth.
Li and Kynes go first, inspecting the stairs for any trapping mechanisms, but aside from the scheming machinations of nobility and royalty, the coast appears clear. Garvid and Mouse then take the lead...
The iron-framed stairs spiral down into a vast grotto. The air here is cool and smells of soil. You find yourselves standing on a semicircular ledge that winds down along the cavern’s inner wall to a series of rope bridges that descend even lower from ledge to ledge. The upper ledge is breathtaking and strangely beautiful—a tableau of all manner of odd-colored fungi, lichens, and molds. The fungi have been cultivated, shaped into symmetrical patterns normally not seen in nature, transforming the ledge into a sort of underground fungal garden. Here and there, flickering torches burn in sconces above the fungi, while from somewhere in the darkness below comes the soft splash of water against an unseen shore.
Garvid:
Kynes:
Li:
Mouse:
Talfryn:
Yazi:
Only a faint shimmering in the air forewarns of the first of the dungeon’s dangers. Plumes of a noxious spore cloud fill the space as wretched, skeletal forms emerge from behind the concealing magic of invisibility. Draped in chainmail and sporting scimitars and shields, their “skin” is pale fungus rather than flesh, sprouting mushroom caps and shelf fungi.
___________________________
*All are subject to poisonous spore cloud.
Garvid: 92/92
Kynes: 66/66
Li: 77/77
Mouse: 68/68
Talfryn: 57/57
Yazi: 73/73
Yaziyah quickly yanks an end of her scarf over her nose and mouth, avoiding the inhalation of the spores.
"Pfooei! These are poisonous!"
mushrooms always made me instinctively retch.
These won't succumb to mind tricks!
Li throws herself backwards out of the spore cloud as gracefully as she can and readies her crossbow.
Mouse manages to push through the first part of the assault of spores, but the combined effects of all three prove to be too much - she starts retching and coughing, the paroxysms slowing and distracting her.
Li takes aim at the garden guardian near Yazi, but the haze of spores spoils her aim.
Kynes pauses a moment to assess one of the creature’s positioning . He lashes out with his bladed scarf, cutting a deep gash into fungal flesh.
Talfryn harumphs, pushing past Kynes with a mumbled ”Pardon!” and utterly ignoring the scimitar blade swinging at his head. He waggles a pinky, conjuring from imagination a field of slime that coats the floor beneath the eastern guardians . One immediately slips and falls to the floor, its brittle bones cushioned by the thick padding of fungal growth.
The two standing guardians strike out with their scimitars, proving that despite their decrepit appearance, the blades are quite sharp. One cuts a neat, deep wound into Yazi’s thigh, though the life energy suffusing her quickly knits the cut closed . Another pierces Garvid’s armor at his arm, producing a slow trickle of blood . The third crawls to its feet .
___________________________
*All are subject to poisonous spore cloud.
Garvid: 79/83, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -3 Con, -1 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Kynes: 57/57, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Con, -1 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Li: 77/77, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 Con, -1 Ref saves
Mouse: 68/68, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 Con, -1 Ref saves
Talfryn: 56/56, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -3 Con, -1 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Yazi: (5 temp) 73/73
Orange guardian: prone
hit, 12 dmg
miss
hit, 4 dmg
miss
"And they will resist fire!" Yaziyah keeps going down the list of attributes for the creatures. She is rather intrigued by them, but studying them will have to wait; aware of her rather lackluster capabilities in physical combat, and knowing that their opponents will resist her mind-influencing magic, she summons the wrath of the spirits to take her place in combat. She inhales a bit of the spores as she opens her mouth to cast the spell, the coughing fit almost causing her to mispronounce the incantation and lose the spell, but she rallies at the last moment.
A shimmering, ethereal dagger materializes where the shaman had been, its wide, curved blade inscribed with spirals and skulls. It shoots forward in a stabbing motion aimed at the fungal guardian.
We cannot remain in this spore cloud
Move! And Kynes runs, knowing that those scimitars couldn't be as bad as those spores.
Li's Con is at 10
Li doesn't need Kynes telling her they can't stay in the spore cloud to know that she has to move. Her body feels heavy and a little off as she tries to move. She clumsily stumbles past the creatures leaving herself open to attack.
The spores threaten to overwhelm Mouse, and she nearly chokes on the thick cloud surrounding her. I 'ope these work. Tapping her heels together, she feels a sudden jolt of magic starting at her feet, and as the burst of energy runs up her legs she swings at the strange creature and prepares to dash past.
The choking spore cloud is suffocating, yet Yazi manages to entreat the spirits for aid. Her spiritual blade impales the fungal guardian right through, releasing a cloud of spores out of the creature’s back . Yazi takes a step back .
Kynes’s scarf whizzes over a guardian’s head . Realizing the potency of the poison, he flees north around one of the guardians. Its blade hacks at him, once, twice, splattering his blood against the cave’s colorful flora.
Li races after, moving quick enough to avoid the scimitar!
Mouse, relying on her enchanted boots, follows, but endures two deep cuts to her back.
Garvid and Talfryn also tear free, taking advantage of the guardians’ lapse in attention to run by and avoid their blades.
The western guardian hacks uselessly at Yazi’s spiritual blade. Those eastern advance slowly through Talfryn’s slippery grease, just managing to reach Garvid and Mouse.
___________________________
Garvid: 70/74, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Kynes: 32/48, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -5 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Li: 59/59, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Mouse: 23/41, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -6 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Talfryn: 38/38, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -7 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Yazi: (5 temp) 64/64, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Con, -1 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Seeing her companions are high-tailing out of the spore cloud, Yaziyah follows, leaving the spiritual blade to do the fighting.
"Ugh, this poison." She spits to the side, into the ravine, as she pulls out the restorative stick and gives herself a tap.
Talfryn immediately lifts up off the ground and flies out wide, over the void, to turn and face the skeletal creatures, his face wan and drawn, his insides heaving as his gag reflex seeks to take over.
Extending his hand, he hurls two scorching rays at their foes.
Kynes examines the fungal machination critically, then sends his bladed scarf through exposed femurs, waits until the blades catch, then yanks in a tripping action. With a flick of his wrist, he sends the weighted scarves to rend shrooms from bone. It staggers, and Kynes sends his scarves to punish its flank.
Li's body doesn't respond as readily as she would like. Even though her movements are still graceful and quick in comparison to most, she feels clumsy and slow. She raises her loaded crossbow and fires at one of the fungal abominations.
Yazi’s spiritual weapon swipes fruitlessly at the fungal guardian as she races through the spore cloud, escaping with a wheezing cough reminiscent of those heard at the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden. Her curative wand does its work and she takes a deep breath of the musty cavern air.
Talfryn glides out over the precipice, releasing two rays of scorching fire at the fungoid! The janni magic suffusing the old bones proves nearly impervious to the heat, though the fungal growths noticeably shrivel.
Kynes attempts to trip the same one, but the creature proves remarkably stable, and stubborn . His second strike hits true, rending the now-burnt, mycotic flesh .
The disorienting effect of the poison has taken its toll on Li, and both of her bolts fly past the creatures into the garden walls beyond .
___________________________
Garvid: 70/74, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Kynes: 32/48, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -5 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Li: 59/59, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Mouse: 23/41, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -6 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Talfryn: 38/38, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -7 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Yazi: (5 temp) 73/73, -1 Con
Mouse releases a frenzy of punches followed by a roundhouse kick, caving in the brittle skull of the guardian with the heel of her boot. Garvid continues the salvo by skewering the creature with the spearhead of his halberd. The creature staggers, lifeless, and Garvid kicks it off of his blade and sends it tumbling off the cliff face.
The remaining guardian hacks at Mouse, managing to catch her while her attention is focused on its ally and buries its blade in her armor, cutting deep into her flesh.
To the north, the battle continues between fungus and spiritual weapon, as the guardian hacks uselessly at its spiritual adversary.
___________________________
Garvid: 70/74, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Kynes: 32/48, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -5 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Li: 59/59, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Mouse: 16/41, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -6 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Talfryn: 38/38, -2 Str, -2 Dex, -7 Con, -3 Fort saves, -1 Ref saves
Yazi: (5 temp) 73/73, -1 Con
hit
miss
Done with tricks, Kynes launches a powerful, studied strike. Go mold somewhere else! Kynes growls throatily, lashing the weighted scarves in a snaking arc. If it flinches, I'm ready for another quick strike.
Struggling mightily against the coughing fits that still sap her energy, Mouse lashes out, fighting to overtake the strange creatures.
One of Kynes’s scarves lashes the guardian’s femur, pulling the bone from the acetabulum with a dry, ripping noise.
Mouse targets its other femur, stomping down with her boot hard enough to crack its leg in two. The creature crumbles to the floor, its bones clattering. Then, stillness.
The remaining guardian continues to combat Yazi’s summoned dagger, making it an easy target for Li to destroy from range.
Yazi uses her wand of lesser restoration and wand of cure light wounds to patch everyone up from the toxic spores.
Garvid: 92/92
Kynes: 66/66
Li: 77/77
Mouse: 75/76
Talfryn: 57/57
Yazi: (5 temp) 73/73
_____________________________
After taking a moment to collect yourselves and loot the guardians of their valuable treasure, you look to the rope bridges. Li confirms that their sturdy and well-maintained appearance suggests they are safe to travel, and the group carefully descends to the lower ledges. Talfryn levitates down alongside the wall.
A protrusion rises from a rocky beach overlooking the sloshing waters of a sea cave, connecting three progressively lower ledges on the wall until finally reaching a stony protrusion at ground level. Here you find the remains of the fungal guardian thrown by Garvid, and you collect its magical items as well.
At the bottom of the vast cavern, a wooden pier extends out into a gently sloshing pool of blue seawater. A shallowdraft barge is docked at the pier, an unlit lantern hanging from its bow. Supporting timbers and brickwork line parts of the lower edge of the immense cavern to both the west and south, showing where the original sea cave has been artificially expanded. To the north, a twenty-five-foot-wide waterway provides an aquatic exit from the cavern—the distant, muted sounds of the surf and sloshing water echo down from that direction.
To the northeast, an unadorned wooden door opens into a simple chamber with a bed and a number of shelves carved into the stone walls. All manner of animal figurines, some crude and carved of wood, others exquisite and sculpted from stone or even metal, decorate the shelves. A heap of raw materials for crafting more of the animals lies against the western wall. Several of the sculptures are skillfully made. The most valuable are a one-foot-long blue-coral becko, an exquisitely crafted firepelt cougar carved from redwood, and a gold flame drake with tiny pearls for eyes.
A pair of heavy bronze doors lies to the south. One is engraved with the head of a tiger, the other with the coat of arms of House Arkona.
full
full
full
"Very convenient." mutters Yaziyah at the sight of the waterway. "One could go in and out of this place while avoiding notice. Something to keep in mind, should we be successful in freeing the seneschal and Vencarlo."
She examines the sculptures appreciatively. "I wonder where the artist is, and if they've been 'collected' by Meliya as well."
There, on the cave wall. I see the outlines of a hidden hatch. Kynes points. He studies it carefully, examining it for traps.
Before we go, let me prepare myself.
Once they are at the very bottom, Li uses what Glorio told them to know where to search for the secret door.
”You will find that the stairs descend to a cave with ledges and bridges overlooking water. When you have reached the bottom, the very bottom, you will find a secret door in the cave wall that will lead you to the dungeons themselves.
Kynes beats her to inspecting the door for any surprises but out of habit, she still takes a look before opening it.
A dark tunnel is revealed, twisting away out of sight.
"If this's meant t' be a trap meant for confusin' folk, I'm sayin' we pick whatever way's not so obvious," Mouse chimes in, eyeing the bronze doors suspiciously. "Course, that may be what she'd be wantin' folk t' think...but that c'n go roun' an' roun' in circles forever."
Li looks into the dark tunnel, "Glorio be sayin' tha secret door be tha entrance ta tha labyrinth. I be agreein' wit' Mouse an' be thinkin' tha tunnel be our best bet."
Kynes nods. Before proceeding, Kynes swallows several concoctions, and as he does his eyes seem to sharpen, and his arms thicken with bark.
A long tunnel winds through pitch blackness for 100 feet. It curves sharply to the north, ending at a set of large bronze doors, each carved with images of tigers chasing other tigers in four adjacent circles. At the center of each circle of tigers, a snarling tiger head looks out.
When Li and Kynes inspect the doors for traps, they find them unlocked; they swing open silently at a mere touch.
Beyond, two statues, each depicting a tiger-headed man, stand in alcoves to either side of the doors. Their arms are wide, as if to usher visitors forward into the room beyond.
Beyond, an empty room extends into two alcoves, their contents hidden from view.
Garvid:
Kynes: barkskin, heightened awareness, mutagen
Li:
Mouse:
Talfryn: overland flight
Yazi: barkskin, greater false life