"Well this doesn't look at all shifty does it...?"
Dorin stays by the door, staring in to the room, not liking what he is seeing one bit.
"Check the chest. I bet if there is a trap, it is on that there chest. I'd bet my own aged mother on it!"
Briar brow wrinkles as he sweeps the room with a Detect Magic,and then a Detect Poison. He will inform the rest accordingly.
"I don't see any traps, but I do see two secret doors." Coglen says, pointing in the direction of the doors.
At Colgens verdict, Kaley passes through the hallway, using her sword to test the ground in front of her. When she arrives at the next room, she reaches out with the sword and nudges the chest slightly to the side.
Dorin inhales sharply before moving forward and opening the chest.
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As Dorin opens the chest, the click of a latch and the rattling of chains is all the warning the group gets as the ceiling falls towards them.
All three of the adventurers who entered the room failed to duck in time. Thankfully, the ceiling stops just short of the two-foot plinth, preventing total crushing of them, they each, however, receive a resounding crack on their heads. Dorin is knocked unconscious, and begins bleeding out...
As the ceiling crashes down on top of them, Kaley falls to the ground, clutching at the gash in her temple. "No." Her scalp bubbles furiously as her open wound settles into a deep scar.
Her own power expended, she crawls over to Dorin, withdrawing the wand from his belt once more and pressing it to his forehead.
She turns away, distracted, and drops the wand onto Dorin's chest "This has to stop. We have to stop walking forward blindly and nearly getting ourselves killed."
Kaley pushes herself up on one arm, carefully examining both the interior of the chest and the door handle set into the floor.
Coglen smears a drop of devil blood on his forehead, and casts Infernal Healing on himself.
Dorin splutters awake, clutching his head and groaning loudly. "Yeh test me today Torah, Father of the Forge. Yeh test me hard. Why the hells is this place so f~$%in messed up? Why? We need someone who knows traps. This is flaming ridiculous!"
He grabbed the wand and gripped it tightly as he crawled over to look in to the chest.
"If yer f$$!in empty I'm rethinking this whole escapade!"
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With some work and coordination, Kaley is able to figure out that the door handle inset with the floor raises the ceiling back up, as it rises, the chest emerges out from a hollow inside the plinth, luckily still open.
Inside is the bleached skull of a cat, along with a note that reads: "Curiosity Kills: another ingenious demise from the minds of of Tarr and Feather's Discount Securities and Curatives Emporium."
Along with the note lie several sundry items including six potions, a wand, and a set of masterwork Kusari Gusoku armor. Inside the armor is another note, written in Tien.
Petros holds the wand to Dorin. "This will will be able to hide a creature from undead, if I'm not mistaken a man of your talents should be able to use it without difficulty, but I do agree that this tower seems to increasingly require that we find someone of adept skill at disabling traps."
"I don't know what this note says, but these potions appear to be healing potions. Slower-acting than the usual cure spells we all know too well, but about as useful in terms of the severity of damage it'll fix."
At the mention of healing, Kaley grabs one of the potions and drinks it in a single gulp. As the healing begins to take effect, her attention turns to the armor. "This is some of the best armor I've seen in a while - must have cost a small fortune. Mind if I start using it?" As she picks up the chain jacket, the note flutters out, and she catches it with her other hand. "I can't read this either, although I could make an extract to change that." She glances toward the two secret doors Colgen pointed out. "But something tells me we should keep moving. We must have attracted enough attention already, I hate to think of what could arrive if I take the time to make an extract or put on armor." She pockets the note if no one else can read it and slides the armor into her backpack, grunting under the added weight.
"Yeah, it's far too heavy for my tastes."
Briar's mouth finally closes after watching the ceiling fall on the rest.
"Mr. Coglen, Ms. Kaley, Mr. Dorin!"
Seeing the others somewhat okay. He walks up and attempts to heal each a bit more.
"I think we should keep going as well. I'm not a big fan of necromancy, and have more than enough reasons to find that Wizard."
He begins to walk forward hurridly before promptly stopping and clearing his throat. "Err, after you, of course."
"Err, after you, of course."
Kaley raises an eyebrow at Briar. "You'll allow us the pleasure of having ceilings fall on our head?" she replies, grinning. "How chivalrous."
She grabs the rest of the healing potions, drinking another and passing one to each of the others. Then she crosses to the southern secret door, waiting for anyone to check for additional traps. When the rest appear ready, she yanks the door open, stepping quickly to the side and dropping to the ground.
Dorin stops and scratched his head before nodding and taking out the wand. "That is a good idea Petros, indeed!"
Dorin frowned before tapping himself again!
If nobody does anything else, Kaley will now open the door and dive to the side, as described above.
Coglen looks into the room without stepping in, attempting to see traps.
Briar follows dutifully, casting on Coglen as he inspects the room. "I have minor magic which can move light objects from afar if need be." Briar adds quietly after finishing his spell.
Kaley does her best to help examine the area.
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With no signs of traps, Kaley opens the door, sidestepping quickly out of caution. No traps spring, and they peer into the room beyond. Shabby mold covered tapestries hang from ceiling hooks, cloaking the southern wall of the chamber in scenes depicting huntsman stalking their prey, now faded and drab.
A plain wooden chair of massive construction stands centered before the tapestries, facing into the room. A large stone table stands against the eastern wall.
Upon the chair sits a skeleton, and standing by its flanks two more skeletons. A raspy voice emanates from it, like crawling spiders and the howling wind of a storm. "Who are you?"
"No one of consequence."
She speaks calmly and begins to cross the room, still tapping the floor in front of her with the tip of her sword before she steps. As she passes through the doorway, she steals a glance toward the eastern table to scan it for any noticeable contents.
When she arrives in front of the chair she gives a slight curtsy, then raises an eyebrow at the skeleton expectantly.
"Ahm... no." Dorin takes a step in to the chamber beside Kaley, fanning out slightly, glancing around the room. "I think I would rather know yer name, master Bones, before I tell you mine!"
Briar quickly steps in behind them, spreading his arms wide as if meeting an old friend.
"My name is Briar, Briar Thor! I am a powerful sorcerer from a long family of magic users. And who do I have the honor of speaking with, Master...?"
Raddicus chirps annoyed off in the distance, clearly not pleased with his master's choice of actions.
"KaleyDorinBriarColgenPetros," she recites, as if it were a single word. "Names are meaningless. What's yours?"
Dorin groans, gripping his axe tighter. "Nay lass, names mean something to some people..."
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Near as several members of the party can tell, the creatures all appear to be a normal skeletons.
The voice hisses with great annoyance at Kaley and Dorin's responses, and the three skeletons on and around the chamber's central chair begin to move, drawing their weapons.
Sensing that things are going very, very wrong in the room, Coglen springs into action...
Coglen moves forward, but remains around the corner once he sees their opposition.
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Petros moves up to the next chamber and looks upwards to the ceiling before he smiles.
"Dorin, get in here! I have an idea!"
At that point, the skeleton upon the throne along with one of the ones flanking it move in and strike at Kaley, one with a claw, and one with a falchion!
While the falchion misses, the claw strikes Kaley!
Then, a figure steps out from behind the curtain, skeletal hands waving about as it chants before pointing to Kaley.
A bastard sword appears before Kaley, formed of blue translucent energy, and strikes!
The phantasmal weapon slashes at Kaley!
As the skeletal figures glare at Kaley, malice in their eye sockets, she prepares for her rebuttal...
The now-familiar sound of Kaley's weapon clanging to the floor echoes through the room. She spins, lashing out at the attacking skeletons with her claws and fangs while forcing her way through the room.
Briar watches with his mouth somewhat open, not really having expected the formalities to turn to violence so quickly. Getting hold of himself he shuffles out of the way of the others before sending grease directed at the creatures weapon.
Dorin double timed it in to the room, standing before Petros, ready for the spell.
Coglen moves up and attacks the enemy.
Kaley darts behind the throne, pulling a small blue vial out of her pocket as she does so. When she swallows the contents, her height shoots upward to match the dwarf at her side, and she grins.
Briar looks around uncertainly, somewhat thrown off by his now large companions. Finally he moves to the center of the room for better view and readies to blast any enemies that come within 30 feet of him with a ray of Positive Energy.
