"Maybe the ghost got the meal it needed and moved on? If we see another one is there anyway I can hurt something like that?"
Once the other cells are checked she happily pushes forward, letting those that are better at searching lead the way.
"I have no idea," Brynn replies to Bethany's question. "Does anyone know about spirits?"
Grilnik inspects the cell "oddly enough, I don't know much more than the average beard about ghosts or spirits."
He points to the rear of the cell "...but I do know about stones, and those look like they've been cut differently. They remind me of the secret opening into this hallway."
"Anyone know if the ghosts will come back?"
"I'm sure it will be fine..." Brynn assures Grilnik.
Let's get this over with.
"I suppose if they were going to do something else, they'd have done it already..."
Grilnik strides into the cell and attempts to open the secret door in the back.
It might have been a Haunt... A Spirit trapped here, but not Powerful enough to hurt anyone truely. We'd have to put it to rest if we wish for it to go away, but one should do it post haste. It is gone now, but will be back soon. Verik says, displaying his knowledge of otherworldly beings.
The secret door in front of you looks easy to open, once you realize its there.
Verik flinches as his dancing lights flicker out. Oh, sorry, only lasts a minute... he says, calling the four little lanterns back.
"Only a minute, huh? Makes me happy that I can see in the dark. Everyone ready for me to slide this fake wall open?"
Vors takes off his backback and slides down the wall, emptying it contents until the half-orc finds several food rations wrapped in a ragged cloth. The rogue quickly shovel one ration into his mouth and eats its ravenously.
Between bites, Vors relays his experience.
"Godsdamn ghost!...Made me..relive it's..long..drawn out..death! Mmm! Starving..to death..in that cell!..F#<ker!"
Verik chuckles. It was a Haunt, not a ghost. A ghost is much, much worse...
"It all turned out in the end, Vors. You're fine." Brynn assures Vors with a kind smile.
"That sounds terrible Vors, do you need more food I have some dried stuff?"
Once the wall is open.
"Whoever built this had a lot of secrets I guess, all these false doors. Lets just hope for no more haunts of ghosts or things like that."
Assuming those with keener senses will lead the way Bethany will follow along.
As the door opens you can see a long narrow corridor. As the corridor ends it opens up a little. Inside this small room is a strange metallic contraption of gears and chains. A large lever extends out at a 45 degree angle from the front of it. Above the contraption there seems to be a floating ball of electricity. It looks like a very localized thunder storm without the cloud. It periodically sends out tiny sparks into the air or up the chain.
"Well tie a bow in my beard, I never saw a pet thunderstorm before."
Grilnik turns back towards the others, pointing down the corridor with his thumb.
"Varik, you're a wizard, does that make any sense to you?"
Eyes wide Bethany waits.
What the f*** is that? Gods, this was a horrible idea. We're all going to die.
"Yes, Varik. After you." Brynn agrees. She takes a few steps back for good measure, allowing the others to approach the lightning without her.
Verik nods, Ah yes, that is a Lightning elemental. Buggery little things. From the plane of air. It is made entirely out of lightning. It's a small one though, shouldn't be too much of a problem. Although it is one of those critters that can indeed hurt you. he says. Ah... Do any of you by chance know Auran? Language of the plane of air? he says, embarrassed he didn't know it himself.
"No. I don't." Brynn replies. Obviously.
"Anything I need to know before I shoot it?"
"Me neither, so I guess diplomacy is out. Let me step aside so that you have a better shot."
Grilnik steps through the no-longer-secret doorway and then to the right, giving Brynn a clear shot.
Brynn waits to fire for the all-clear from Varik, but takes aims carefully.
Verik sighs. Just be careful, It likes to jump into metal, making metal armor a problem with them.
Brynn nods, uses a swift action to make her longbow magical and fires an arrow at the elemental.
Bethany makes a little face knowing this might hurt and moves inside the door and to the west so the elemental cannot get past her easily and prepares her hammer.
"A ghost and now lightning. I miss the squish-able bugs."
Verik uses this time to attack as well, holding out an hand and willing a magic bolt to fly fourth the missile curving to hit the elemental squarely.
Brynn's shot hits the stationary beast, it seems to hit something deep inside. Causing to spark to life!
The elemental seemed to be aware of you and charges forward, but Bethany is waiting for it. As it slides out of the narrow corridor Bethany's huge hammer swings around and strikes the target. The Elemental stops in place to face Bethany.
But Verik's bolts of energy where already flying through the air right as the Elemental approaches its spot, it seems to join with the electricty that makes up its body.
With a flash, the elemental gives a puff of electricity before its gone.
Brynn smiles happily. "Yes!" she exclaims, jumping up once in pride. "Nicely done."
"See anything else dangerous up there?" she asks Grilnik and Verik.
"I don't know about dangerous..."
Grilnik walks through the passage to the end and examines the device.
Wasn't there a strange bulge in the ceiling outside? I wonder if they're connected...
"This lever doesn't look too dangerous. I guess I can throw the switch and if anything bad happens then we can probably just switch it back..."
Grilnik rubs his beard thoughtfully. Unless something breaks...
In front of Grilnik is a complex machine of some sort. A large lever in front of you. Your spacial awareness does seem to say that the chains involved with this machine are in a similar place to the bulge in the ceiling. Though you are not sure what it would do.
verik scowls, you know... the more and more i see the tunnels the more i realize it's a torture chamber... but why keep something like thiis below your castle?
"Why keep something like this below your town at all?" Brynn counters. "You're assuming no one knows this is here. Perhaps we should give some thought to why a rich woman would send a group of foreigners into a death trap? Surely she has some locals or hirelings she trusts to send in? It may not just be this building. It may be this town."
Did I just say that out loud?
Suddenly realizing she's being far too vocally suspicious, Brynn smiles.
"Oh, listen to me! Twenty minutes underground and I've gone paranoid!" She smiles in embarrassment and lets out a laugh.
"Lead on, Grilnik, Vors. Don't mind my prattling!"
"I have a great suggestion", chimed Vors. "Let's not touch it!"
"Well that we better then the ghost thing."
As Brynn speaks Bethany's normal smile falters a bit.
"You think she wasn't being honest? I guess she did offer quite a bit of gold to us."
I would think there would be risk for 500gp, I could live on that for quite some time if I had to.
She has no opinion on the machine.
Grilnik leaves the lever alone and leads the way to the rest of the cells and the other door "I think the high reward was more related to the possible dangers of this place. There might be kobolds alive and kicking down here, after all..."
[/ooc]Yeah, I just took averages, It only had 11 HP, so it wasn't that bad. 2d65 (or whatever it was) was pretty amazing.[/ooc]
Reminder: You where sent down here to figure out why the tower went down, and to see if Hunclay was involved at all. Current thought is kobolds, but you are not sure.
Looking in all these cells, they seem to be filled with old prisoners, like the rest in this south section. The area to the north was almost cleared out at some point, this south section seems to have been forgotten.
Grilnik steps up to the door leading west and readies his longhammer.
"Everyone ready for whatever is behind this door?"
"Were not going to pull the level? Really."
She kicks an imaginary stone as she walks away following the dwarf.
Brynn continues to follow along with the group, at the back with her longbow drawn.
As you make your way to the west door down the hall. A combination of of Grilnik's natural stone cunning and Brynn's keen eye, noticed that the walls around this door are slightly jammed. Most likely from the collapse above.
"Put your back into it, Grilnik!" Brynn encourages. "Looks like it just needs a good push."
"I s'pose I can give it a shove."
Grilnik leans into the door, to no avail.
He clears his throat "It's stuck good. Beth, could you help me a kick it open?"