Is she going to tell us where the secret entrance is?
After Kjell does not see anyone acting on the news of a secret entrance, he leaves the corpse of the bugbear and approaches the woman. After the looting of her person is complete, he holds his axe above her neck.
Where is the secret entrance to the lower level? NOW! Or, you can lose your head like the beast over there did.
She spits towards the warrior:
"You will have to kill me then! I will not allow you to disrupt my mistress' plans or to harm my sweet Tsuto!"
though she is valiant in her defiance, her eyes keep darting to the wall in the west side of the room
"I am beginning to suspect this Tsuto may possess some sorcerers powers he did not reveal in our confrontation. It would explain his escape, and why women seem to be so taken with him. Some sort of charm spell." Thalrik said, talking mostly to himself and seemingly oblivious to the idea that the Half-elf might simply be good with the ladies.
Returning to the matter at hand, he answered Arthurs thoughts. "I have no need of the cloak Arthur, I purchased one not long ago." He held up the edge of his cloak displaying the arcane runes stitched into its edge, golden thread on an azure backdrop. "And with this bounty of spells, I have more than taken my share already."
Silently watching Kjell ply his trade, Thalrik suddenly noticed the way the woman was eyeing the nearby western wall. Walking up to it, Rikka leaning precariously from his shoulder to sniff the wall, he held his hands to the stone and started probing around.
Right then since Fraadok needs to be protected in order to heal us all i suggest that it goes to him/
Fraadok puts the cloak on, and steps away from the impending blood splatter.
"You should have answered his questions a little nicer, wench. But thank you for the cloak."
Thalrik, you find a stone in the wall that when depressed causes a door that is barely even perceivable in the wall to slide open. Beyond is a spiral staircase leading down.
Orik watches, amused.
"Well, I'll be... Hmm. Well I would bet that Nuala and them are all down there, along with whatever other god awful scary stuff they are into... you guys sure you don't wanna check out up here... where its less creepy?"
[b] yes i am sure. Our goel is to rescue someone and to put an end to her. [b]
"If we are looking for a prisoner that Nualia may have taken to a lower section of this place, then yes we should go down further. We can always come back up to this level later."
"We can also leave this one tied up, on the other side of the secret door, incase there is someone else on this level that could help her."
"Bewarned though, Pharasma has only blessed me a limited amount of her holy energy, and that supply is dwindling. I am not sure how much arcane might Thalrik may have left left."
Seeing all the lace and frills on the cloak, he hands it over to Idril. "Sorry, not my style."
He takes the Everburning Torch and secures it to his backpack.
Now I don't need to worry about burning my head with a lit torch any more.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
On Going Effects:
Kjell nods and heads to the stairs.
The party tromps down the stairs, onward to honor, victory, and vengeance! The stairs curve down in a spiral and you arrive on the third floor of thistletop dungeon. Cracks line the walls here and there. A stone door just around the corner from the steps hangs slightly ajar, the detailed carvings that once covered its surface defaced chisel marks and hammer blows to the extent that only a few remnants of images (mostly of gemstones and crowns) remain. The floor here is slanted downwards towards the west.
i know fraadok but we will have to make due with what we have. he says as the party moves on
Stepping up to the door, Thalrik peered inside.
The rooms down here have been illuminated by torches. Peering into the next door you see that two pillars support the ceiling in there. In many places the stone walls, floor, and ceiling are caked with ancient grime and soot. Alcoves in the north and south walls contains partially damaged statues of a man in robes clutching a book and a glaive. (K. History anyone?). The entire room is canted toward the west, and whatever ancient upheaval caused the complex to tilt knocked the statues from their base so that now they lean against the western walls of their alcoves. Another stone door lies in the Eastern wall, depicting the same broken carvings of gems and gold coins.
Looking at the others assembled behind him, Thalrik described the layout of the hall beyond the door. "It looks clear, but I would thread lightly."
He then stepped to the back, motioning for those brawnier and more foolhardy than himself to go first.
Thalrik, you recognize these statues for what they are: old statues of some guy with a book and a glaive.
Orik: "I will go. Though I was never given permission to come down here, I suppose it would not be illogical to think I could have found my way, should we come across Nualia or Tsuto. That, perhaps, will give you all time to surprise them."
With that he carefully makes his way across the room, and gets to the stone door unharmed. He looks at you all as if you ask if he should open the door.
Motioning for Orik to hold his ground, Thalrik slid into the room as well, taking care to stay near his companions.
Into the room you go! It's a nice room.
Idril, you recognize these as statues of karzoug, one of the seven wizard kings of ancient thassilon. You have only seen brief descriptions of him in some ancient texts, and remember a passage of him in quink's journal. (Thalrik must have let you peruse it one day)
"Well, would you look at that! Those statues are of Karzoug, one of the seven wizard kings of ancient Thassilon. This must be that cathedral the mercenary mentioned. Hey Thalrik! Wasn't there a line about him in Quink's journal?"
Orik looks amused.
"Nah pretty lady, that cathedral is back upstairs, and someone rededicated it to Lamashtu. It's super creepy, it looks like a death metal concert in there. Blood and animal heads and such. Thistletop is much older than all that religion... this chamber probably predates any Lamashtu cult by a few hundred years."
"Well if it is that old, just be careful. It looks like this room has seen better days. We don't want it coming down on our heads."
Right, ok lets move on.
Orik carefully opens the door and the party files inside. This short hallway rises in a slope to the east. Five feet from the western door (that you are all entering from), the floor is polished and shiny, unlike the dusty floor elsewhere. A pair of stone statues depicting stern men wielding glaives stand in aloves north and south of this section of the hallway. At the eastern end stand two stone doors, their faces carved with strange runes. Just past the doors is a third alcove in which a partially collapsed statue sits. The top half of the statue is missing, leaving behind a ragged stump of a torso.
Thalrik screwed up his face in a look of annoyance as Idril reminded him of the passage in Quinks journal. "Ofcourse I remember the line about Karzoug, let me just..." He started flipping through the journal quickly. "...find it, I know where it is, its..." He continued to flip pages, going back and forth more than once. On his shoulder, Rikka practically held her head in his tiny hands. "...iiiiits....its...AH! yes, its right here see?" He tapped the page triumphantly. Then he slammed the journal shut and stowed it again. "Well, now that thats taken care of, lets move on."
Inspecting the runes on the door with interest, Thalrik pulled out a small handbook on the subject or the arcane.
Thalrik, as you walk across the room make a reflex save.
As soon as Thalrik steps in front of the statues, two rusted iron portcullises drop down on either side, but he reacts to slowly to jump out of the way, leaving him trapped in that 5' area! Once the gates at down, the statues whir to life, and soon after begin slashing frantically!
One of the statues manages to catch him with his glaive, slashing him for 7 damage!
With an undignified yelp, Thalrik clutched his arm where the glaive had slashed him, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. A second later he reappeared back on the other side of the portcullises next to the others.
After a few seconds of slashing the statues stop swinging and a trap door open in the cage, leaving a 10' deep pit. After another few seconds the door closes once more, the gates open, and the statues return to their original position.
Orik cringes at the sound of the trap activating.
"So that must be what killed Jagen... I had wondered. Shows how much that b*%$+ trusted me."
indeed it does. But it also show that you were right to choose our side instead of hers.
"Well that probably made enough noise to summon the fiends of Abaddon down upon us. Best be prepared for them knowing we are here. Do we jump that spot or can someone disable it?"
"Let me take a look." Idril said as she cautiously approached the trap.
She opens up the flaps concealing her pocketed scarf, selects a few instruments and goes to work on the mechanism.
"I think that was it." She said, standing up again and brushing off her dress.
Idril pulls out her thieves tools and begins fiddling with the statues, making sure not to put pressure on the floor in front of them. It takes her a little bit of time to reach over and actually work on the thing, but she doesn't have too hard of a time actually disabling the mechanism, allowing safe passage though the room.
"Where did you say you learned to do this?" Thalrik asked, looking either thoughtful or suspicious. Then he simply shrugged and moved to the doors to inspect them as he had intended. "Well, whatever the answer, it served us well."
The runes appear to be a repetition of seven symbols, with a seven pointed star dominating the center of the doorway.
They do not detect as magical, but Thalrik recognizes their significance to ancient Thassilonian magic. Each rune is representative of a different magic school, and one of the seven kings. Common belief, and a common motif in Thassilonian writings are that the seven symbols were representative of a different ideal that the empire was based on; Charity, Temperance, Generosity, Love, Humility, Zeal, and Kindness.
However, if you are to take stock in Brodert Quink's ramblings and his journal, he believes the true meaning besides the magic schools were; Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Wrath.
Reciting the information he knew to the others, Thalrik stepped back from the doors. "With no more information, your guess is as good as mine everyone. Who will choose?"
The southern door is carved with various runes that you recognize as Thassilonian symbols for gold.
Either it was a corruption of those value , the magic or just knowledge only given in certain circle. Says arthur about the 7 runes.
Alright lets go face Nualia
"Where did you say you learned to do this?"
"Oh, didn't I say? Well, I was a Magician's Assistant for a while; I helped him build his tricks and equipment."
Arthur stands at the end of the hallway, eager to find and face Nualia but unsure as to what door he wishes to open...
Arthur will just open the first one in front of him.
Idril conceals herself. Just in case.