Can't say that I know the symbols... Eponine will check the three doors to see if they are locked or trapped, and listen carefully at each.
Perception
Perception
Perception
Knowledge checks for the symbol:
Know. Arcana
Know. Dungeoneering
Know. Engineering
Know. History
Know. Nature )
Know. Planes
"No idea." Victor responds to Kern as he stares blankly at the signs on the door. Noticing Eponine listening in, Victor moves to help. "I will give a listen as well, Miss Eponine. Two sets of ears are better than one, I always say."
"There have long been legends of ancient magistrates known as the seven runelords, powerful wizards who showed special skill and passion for the use of runes and arcana. Yet, as these wizards’ powers increased, they grew discontent with servitude and living at the whim of the First King. In secret, they forged their own pacts with mysterious extraplanar powers, covetous dragons, and the devious aboleths. I think I once heard a traveling bard mention the name Alznist when telling tales about the legendary empire of Thassilon."
Then you suddenly remember an old scroll you found deep in the stacks of the library in the House of the Blue Stones. It was a lesson detailing seven ancient schools of magic and the seven great masters. In the introduction you saw this same star, the symbol of the combined seven schools and it was called a Sihedron Rune.
Sophy remembers where she has seen this symbol before. "It's a Sihedron Rune. The seven Runelords ... they were masters of seven schools of magic, and this star is the symbol of the seven schools combined. The statue of Alaznist that Brock took the weapon from: the Rune is on it, too, on the book she's holding. Could this place," she rests her hand on the stone wall and looks around at the tunnel wonderingly, "have been here since the time of the Runelords? It's not that someone put this down here without Sandpoint noticing. I think Sandpoint was built on top of a Thassilonian ruin without anyone knowing."
Victor looks at Sophy quizzically. "So if Sandpoint was built on top of this ruin you speak of, that would be bad, right?" He asks, quite confused.
She looks back at him. "Well, not as such, no. There are ancient Thassilonian ruins scattered all around Varisia. In Riddleport, they even have an arch over the harbor. It could be good for Sandpoint: bring more visitors, scholars, if it can be authenticated. The problem is what's in this ruin: Erylium. And whatever has Ameiko." She turns to Eponine. "If you can't hear anything at any of the doors, just pick one."
Sophy's revelation makes each of you think of The Old Light, the ruins of the lighthouse here in Sandpoint. It's old but is it that old?
Eponine checks the doors and each appears to be safe to open, no sounds come from beyond them. Victor puts an ear to the doors and agrees that all is silent from the other side.
Hearing Sophy talk about the seven schools of magic reminds you of a lesson on magical theory from one of your early mentors. She had been a bit of a flake and often talked about a different, old way of magic Her ideas were strange and you had dismissed them as truth, but maybe she was right. The seven schools she believed once existed were:
Envy, The art of suppressing magic other than your own.
Sloth, Calling agents and minions to perform your deeds for you, or creating what you needed as you need it.
Lust, Magically controlling and dominating others to satisfy your desires, and controlling other creatures’ minds, emotions, and wills.
Wrath, Mastery of the raw destructive powers of magic, and channeling those destructive forces.
Pride, Perfecting your own appearance and your domain through trickery and illusions.
Gluttony, Magic that manipulates the physical body to provide an unending thirst for life.
Greed, Magically transforming things into objects of greater value or use, and enhancing the physical self.
Victor shrugs. "I do not hear anything, Miss Eponine. So, if there is nothing else, I say we go with Kern's suggestion. We take the middle door."
The three most able warriors move into the cluttered, one by one they open the three doors. Within each is a single skeleton of a badly deformed humanoid; one has three arms , another has an enormous misshapen skull , and the third has a ribcage that goes all the way down to its pelvis—a pelvis with stunted leg bones strewn below its strangely flat girth.
Sophy gasps and puts her hand to her mouth in horror when she gets a clear look at the skeletons. She glances at Victor's sword, remembering the deformed goblin, and looks at him fearfully. "What could have done this?" she wonders out loud.
Trying to get Sophy's mind off the skeletons, Wren asks her about the 7 pointed rune. "Your talk of the Rune reminded me of a crazy theory I once heard about a different seven schools of magic. They were described to me as follows: Envy, The art of suppressing magic other than your own.
Sloth, Calling agents and minions to perform your deeds for you, or creating what you needed as you need it. Lust, Magically controlling and dominating others to satisfy your desires, and controlling other creatures’ minds, emotions, and wills. Wrath, Mastery of the raw destructive powers of magic, and channeling those destructive forces.
Pride, Perfecting your own appearance and your domain through trickery and illusions. Gluttony, Magic that manipulates the physical body to provide an unending thirst for life. Greed, Magically transforming things into objects of greater value or use, and enhancing the physical self. Strange, but interesting. Did you ever hear of anything along those lines?"
Sophy shakes her head. "I remember a scroll about seven ancient schools of magic, but I didn't know their names. 'Manipulating the physical body?' 'Enhancing the physical self?'" She looks back at the skeletons. "This could have been either one of those. But that goblin with...," she glances at Victor again, "with the extra arm -- it wasn't left over from Thassilonian times. Shalelu said it just dropped out of sight months ago." She looks back at the skeletons in the cells. "Could someone be ... experimenting with this ancient magic?"
"That demon might have had a master who dabbled in this ancient magic. It outlives he or she and tries to follow in its master's footsteps...seem possible enough."
"That demon might have had a master who dabbled in this ancient magic. It outlives he or she and tries to follow in its master's footsteps...seem possible enough."
"It was a man ... a master," Sophy whispers, folding her arms around herself and staring blankly into the wall for a moment, reliving Erylium's memory once again.
The group of you return down the stairs and pick your way across the debris and pit filled floor. You enter the hall single file and come to short hall that branches off to the left. Eponine scouts it only to a spiral staircase that goes down to a pile of rubble. The ceiling and walls have collapsed here blocking the way down permanently. Ahead the main hall dead ends at a closed unadorned door.
Eponine will check the door (locked/trapped/noises).
Perception
Disable Device
Eponine checks to door, it appears to be free of any traps, is unlocked, and completely silent on the other side.
Sophy nods to Eponine nervously to open the door, holding her crossbow at the ready.
"Go ahead, Miss Eponine. Let us see what is in store for us this time."
Eponine pulls the door and it swings open easily, beyond is a strange room consisting of a fifteen-foot-diameter sphere. Several objects float in the room, spinning lazily in space—a ragged book, a scroll, a bottle of wine, a dead raven surrounded by a halo of floating and writhing maggots, and a twisted iron wand with a forked tip. Yet perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the room are the floor and walls, for they are plated in sheets of strange red metal that ripple every once in a while with silent black electricity that seems to coalesce into strange runes or even words far too often for the effect to be chance. Eponine hesitates before entering the chamber.
Wren will cast Detect Magic and examine the room before rushing in. "No one go in yet! Let's examine this carefully before we screw something up."
Kern stares in disbelief. "That is...well...just weird."
"no surprise, but everything in this room is magical. Tread carefully. The items might be useful if we could claim them."
"Are you sure it's safe to enter?" Kern asks Wren. "How do we even walk out to the items? The floor is...well...oddly shaped."
"I ... I've never ...," Sophy seems at a loss to explain what she is seeing. "I didn't know anything like this could exist. Are those ... runes?"
Well, I guess I'll be a guinea pig here. Kern, if you would help? I've got an idea...
Eponine will use her reinforced scarf to tie herself to the end of Kern's spear, with him, and perhaps Victor, holding on to the other end. That way if I start floating like the stuff in there, you can move me around, or pull me back. And Belril, if you can be ready with some sharpstones in case something appears when I go in?
If no one protests and everyone goes along with her plan, Eponine will hand her hat to Wren, tie back her hair and step into the sphere room, not sure if she should expect to float or slide to the bottom of the curved floor.
It is tight in the hallway outside the door as everyone moves up and back to make room for everyone to investigate. After Wren uses her magical eye, Sophy takes a peek careful to not cross over the threshold.
Eponine and Kern rig the scarf and spear and once Sophy steps back, Eponine steps into the room. She immediately begins to levitate in the air, still able to control her own actions freely she can hover and move about the chamber.
"'Anger'...'wrath'...'revenge'...," Sophy reads nervously, as the runes coalesce on the spherical walls. "Be careful, Eponine...."
"Epi, try to grab the wand or the scroll. They are both magical, though, so be very careful."
Hearing Sophy's warning, Eponine tries to calm herself, thinking only of her friends that are relying on her.
I - I have some control over my movement, but please stay ready guys in case that changes!
Eponine will try to collect objects. Once she successfully retrieves two, she'll go close enough to the entrance to hand them off, then go back for more. Unless one or more happen to be right next to her when she can just snatch them, she'll go after the items in this order: wand, scroll, book, wine.
Once she has retrieved those items and passed them out to the others, she'll approach the dead bird. Can she tell what killed it?
Heal
Unless it is really obvious what killed it, Eponine will call out I'm not sure what killed it. Do you want me to bring it out as well?
"Don't touch it," Sophy opines, thinking of the zombies. "It might be undead and peck you." She shudders at the thought.
Listening intently, Victor responds so as to be heard. "Yes, Miss Eponine! Bring out the dead bird as well! Who knows what we may learn from it! Well, besides the fact that it is dead, of course."
"I'm not touching it," Sophy murmurs in disgust.
After retrieving the items (and assuming she didn't run into any issues in that process), Eponine will move to collect the bird. She will handle it carefully, fully expecting now that it will come to life (or unlife) and try to peck her eyes out.
Kern keeps a tight grip on the spear, ready to pull Eponine in at a moments notice if necessary. "Be careful it's not undead or something," he says as she goes for the bird.
Smiling, Victor drags his hand down over his face, shakes his head and can't help but sigh at the constant worry over a dead bird. "The bird is not going to peck our eyes out, people! We have managed to survive demon spawn, so I do not think we need worry about one little dead bird, who is not undead. What could one bird do if it was undead, anyway? Nothing more than a live one, that is what." He simply explains.