The cleric casts Guidance on Sion, seeing the massive damage he was capable of doing. "Asmodeous guides your blade."
Sion kicks aside the remains of the cobra he just smashed before moving over to the other one. He brings his sword down upon the head of this one as well.
Mordesel steps to the side, beginning to surround the snake. Then strikes again with his quarterstaff, but the snake dodges easily out of the way.
Donovan casts a spell, an orb of blue appearing from his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he hurls it at the mithral snake.
But the orb sails over the cobra's head.
Sion strikes the snake, damaging the automaton but not destroying it. Mordesel tries to help but the construct proves surprisingly agile.
The snake lunges at Sion, inflicting a minor bite wound on the drow.
Dane maneuvers into position to flank the target, and strike another blow against the construct.
The automaton drops as Dane delivers a devastating strike upon it.
"Impressive display of power, gentlemen! Those cobras will no trouble us anymore..."
Mordesel glances at Timeon, then back to the others, I'm glad we were able to kill those vile creatures. Let's move on so we can get to Sir Balin quickly. We are on a time crunch, remember? Mordesel moves to the door and opens it.
Timeon's mouth hangs open as you annihilate the constructs. He eagerly follows you through the door.
The door opens to a short corridor and another door. Upon it reads:
“Suffer not the fool. Stupidity is our faith’s cardinal sin.”
Anton remains behind, examining the corpses of the metallic snakes for a moment. Mithral were they? I wonder if the metal could be harvested from them? Or the poison from their fangs?
Anton inspects the metallic remains of the cobras. The mithral can easily be salvaged (20 lbs of it in total). The metal alone is worth a fortune!
Unfortunately, the poison reservoirs have both been punctured and the poison has leaked onto the stone floor. It cannot be salvaged.
Sion leads the way once again with his greatsword up in front of him.
Beyond is a square chamber with a podium in its center. The chamber is lit only by a hanging oil lantern. There is also a stairway leading up to the east.
Upon the podium lies a pendant of silver -- a dragon with sapphire eyes.
There are no other visible doors in this chamber.
The silver pendant. And stairs out of here. Hmmm, this looks too easy. Suffer not the fool. Stupidity...
Sion looks at the pendant on the podium. There was likely a trick to this room just like all the others. He looks to Timeon.
"Do you see that pendant? It's what we came down here for. Did you see it before you hid? We need that to get out of here. Get it for us or you may never get out of here alive. Bring it to me now."
Timeon turns as white as a sheet at Sion's order.
"But... It could be a trap!"
His eyes dart around from person to person, hoping that someone says something in his defense.
"Just step lightly and don't touch anything but the pendant. You'll be fine I promise."
"The sooner you help us with getting the pendant, the sooner we can go find Sir Belin."
Diplomacy
Timeon gulps and slowly makes his way to the pedestal. Step by step, he slowly makes his way to the dragon statuette.
After what seems like an eternity (to him anyway), he reaches out to take the item. His hands shake, his eyes wide in fear. His fingers rap around the dragon and he lifts it from the pedestal...
And nothing happens.
Timeon exhales in relief, then smiles, then laughs.
"I... got it... I got it!"
With a new spring in his step, he rushes over to Sion, obediently handing him the statuette.
"Nice job, pal! We will be sure to tell your knight about your bravery."
"That clue to this room leads me to wonder whether or not this is our actual goal. Can we check this room for secret doors? Somehow I doubt our true goal will be sitting all nice and proper for us to find."
"Well done." Sion gives Timeon a small smile before taking the pendant from him. He holds it up and takes a look at it.
"Does anyone see anything strange or out of place in the room? Traps or anything? It seems strange that there is nothing harmful in here."
Mordesel stares at the room uneasily. As Timeon comes back, Mordesel looks up, Of course you did. Having so recently passed the test of faith Mitra would not have allowed you to be harmed. You know that's why we choose you.
Mordesel continues to stare uneasily around the room, I feel as though we are still missing something though. He turns to Sion, May I inspect that? Mordesel reaches for the statue and begins inspecting it.
Durova's mention of secret doors makes Mordesel's eyes light up. What was it you had said Timeon? Something about a secret door across from the stairs? Mordesel walks quickly to the wall opposite the stairs and begins to examine it.
Durova assists Mordy in his search.
Perception Aid Another
Timeon beams proudly, convinced that he had just passed a test of faith and trust. He answers the question.
"Yes... I heard the bald man say that there was a secret door across from the staircase."
Both Sion and Mordesel can confirm that the statuette is, unfortunately, junk. You can both confirm that the sapphires are merely cheap costume jewelry -- little more than cut glass. The pendant is silver though of no great craftsmanship . Disappointed, you both begin to search the room.
Dane approaches the problem of the empty room as a engineering problem. He first gives a quick glance around the room.
Then, seeing nothing of interest, looks around on the ground for signs of tracks that may point the way to a hidden door.
Still finding nothing, Dane then looks around the room as a whole, examining the sides of the walls, any curve or bend of the architecture, with the question in mind, If I was installing traps or secret doors, how would I construct the room in order to facilitate this? What sections of the walls have been constructed to help disguise this?
Sion looks around the room. But can't see anything of note.
Mordesel checks out the western wall. Durova tries to help but is looking in the wrong place when Mordesel finds a tiny gap between two stones. With a heave, he manages to open it. A passage lies behind it.
Dane considers the chamber layout, but can see little of note. No tracks or obvious markings. He looks closer but there are a lot of variables for him to consider.
In terms of traps, it would have made sense for one placed to be placed on the pedestal, but that seems unlikely now that the statuette has been removed. The main door would be ideal, but you've already passed through that way.
Dane was just about to offer the opinion that a second door in the western wall would create a 'symmetry' in line with the chamber's construction when he hears Mordesel open up the secret door in the west wall. He allows himself a knowing smile.
"Well this is fake." Sion throws the pendant on the ground and steps on it. "I guess that was the puzzle in this room." He looks up the stairs. "We still need to find the real pendant. Let's go deal with some undead." He walks towards the newly found secret door, ready to take the lead again with his greatsword out in case.
Dane smiles as he passes by Mordesel, patting him on the back. "Good find, most people would have over looked that." Dane continues forward, following close behind Sion with his Rhomphaia ready to do its part.
Mordesel nods to Timeon in thanks and continues on, down the path. I believe there was still more to that room, but I think I am glad we did not find it's other secrets. I have a feeling they would have been deadly.
The passage heads south (40ft) before turning east for another 30ft. It ends at a door in the south wall.
The obligatory inscription reads:
“Secrecy is our greatest ally. Exposure brings death.”
Durova looks at the others and looks back at the squire. Is it time to remove the boy?
Mordesel shakes his head slightly. So the dangers we have faced so far are the mithril cobras and the secret door across from the stairs. There's still a 'shrieker that screams if there's any nearby light' and 'four drowned men who rise when they hear the screaming.' I think we're about to find the shrieker . . . Mordesel directs Timeon and Dane to hold on to someone else, And so must move in secrecy. He pulls the obsidian orb from his belt pouch extinguishing the lights. Then he motions for the group to move forward, but quietly.
Durova follows, trusting his Darkvision to show him the path forward.
Dane grabs a hold of Mordesel's shoulder to let him lead the way.
The door opens to another 30ft wide square chamber. Unlike most of the other rooms, it is completely dark.
It is mostly bare except for a man-sized, purple mushroom with a strange bulbous cap growing out of a patch of dirt in the center of the room.
A door is set in the western wall.
"Do you think we could kill that mushroom, or would attacking it set it off? We could always just bypass it, I suppose."
In a low voice Mordesel responds, I have no idea, I'd say let's nit risk it. Let's just stick to the walls and go to that door. He points to the western door and starts moving quietly along the wall. Unless any of you know anything about that thing?
Sion leads the way around it. Keeping the secrecy that was hopefully the intent of this room.
Hugging the walls, you all make your way around the giant mushroom.
The door is unremarkable, (no inscriptions) and opens to a short corridor and ends at yet another door.
This door is marked with the words:
“Beware the fallen for they may rise once more to threaten you.”
Anton slithers by the fungus wondering what it was. A shrieker, the boy said... Still... "This must refer to the 'drowned' undead that Timeon mentioned would rise at the call of that mushroom. Be ready, they may rise when we enter," he says.
Once the door between them and the mushroom has closed, Mordesel puts the obsidian orb away and prepares himself to fight undead as they move on into the next room.
This square stone chamber is lit by a small oil lantern that hangs from the center ceiling. It has eight battered wooden coffins that are encrusted with salt brine, barnacles and dried sea weed.
There is a door in the western wall.
Durova will hang at the back of the party, hoping to use his spells to enhance the other members of the group.
Mordesel moves to the center of the room, then he stands, quarterstaff ready, and waits.