Felix successfully manoeuvres himself around Riley on the narrow ledge and continues along the wet surface at full/normal speed with no issue.
He gets to the end of the narrow ledge, and, using his dancing lights the Catfolk archaeologist can see that there appears to be a narrow wooden walkway (4ft wide, 25ft long) over the remaining section of the sludge trough. It, however, is covered in some of the sludge and appears slippery, so it will not be entirely safe but much better than walking a narrow and slippery ledge. It appears that the metallic contraption in the interrogation chamber is connected to this section of the structure/tower and the lever that Connor pulled released a walkway bridge over the sludge trough.
The green sludge is definitely not slime. It was once extremely potent acid that congealed and weakened over many years. The sludge is, however, still caustic, so anyone who falls into the sludge will suffer some acid damage.
Felix says back to the group The sludge seems to have once been an extremely potent acid but it has weakened over the years. Still would not recommend falling in it however.
He then quickly moves across down the hallway to cover the rest of the group as they make their way across the ledge. As he does so he takes one of his lights and leaves the other three back at the corner to light the way for the group.
From their obvious physical differences to other/ordinary humans and from your training and knowledge of the planes, Felix can determine that the womenfolk in the party have a significant amount of celestial/good outsider blood in their ancestry. And as such can recognise that they will not be immediately harmed by acid for they have a certain celestial resistance against it, as well as cold and electricity.
Felix calls back and says Rhia! Anila! You can fall off without getting injured by the acid! If you want you can just walk through too and then we can clean you off when you get over here.
Curious, Rhialtyra attempted to try the ledge, but alas, she had not thought on the poison in her limbs, her inexperience in these matters, or the way her luck so far had been so ill.
Connor steps foot on the ledge and manages to keep his footing and make his way carefully (at half-speed) to where Riley is standing, but no further.
Connor moves to Riley -
"I need you to move out of the way, my friend. My duty was to be at the front, while the good Felix brings up the rear with his weapons. I cannot let him stand alone," he says.
Anila, seeing the others having difficulty on the ledge, begins to move as well.
Rhia's recent scrape with the Devil and its venom has effected her coordination and she finds moving along the slippery ledge troublesome and her feet give way and she slips down into the trough.
It is a short fall and Rhialytra does not suffer injury from it, but the stink of the green sludge is more prevalent as she stands in its two foot depth. She does not feel any discomfort on her skin from the sludge as her celestial resistance is alleviating any effect from the acid.
Rhia has two choices: to try and get back up onto the ledge or slog it through the sludge (which is difficult terrain).
When Anila attempts the walk along the narrow ledge, she moves carefully and keeps her footing among the sludge on the stone. She walks along to where Connor is standing and waits to see if her companions proceed.
Felix continues down the rest of the corridor to see what he can find at that end and to prevent anyone from attacking from that end.
Rhialtyra sighed, shaking her head at her own folly. At Riley's quick quip, she smiled, though, cheered by his easy spirit. "Thanks, Riley," she said. "I'd better keep my feet grounded this time, eh?" The aasimar decided that the sludge would be a bit more difficult to manage, but likely not as hazardous to her health as falling again would be, no matter the height.
"This'll take me a bit," she noted.
Riley moves around Connor and Anila so they have an easy time moving ahead. "Go ahead my friends. I'll stay back a bit to keep an eye on Rhia."
"This'll take me a bit."
Riley speaks to Rhia, "Take you time love. I'll make sure you make it up to the others." Riley moves along the ledge at Rhia's pace.
Felix traverses the extended walkway readily, and, as he steps off, he can see, with the aid of one dancing light, that the corridor ends in a small chamber-like room. It is empty - devoid of furniture or rubble - and he can see a door across from him, in the southern wall. It is presently closed.
The other three dancing lights are bobbing around the remaining companions - so they may see their way through.
Connor and Anila were given space to move past Riley , who remained, walking along the narrow ledge keeping pace with Rhialtyra who had made the decision to remain within the green sludge and trudge through it.
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As Rhia attempts to move toward the end, Riley tries to get in a good position to offer her a hand.
The party continues their respective movement forward. Connor and Anila make it to the walkway and begin their walk along it.
Both the barbarian and sorceress manage to stay upright on the slippery surface of the walkway as they move along it toward Felix. Once they reach the end, they can look into the small chamber Felix can see.
Once Riley and Rhialtyra reach the bend, the rogue uses his agility and strength to grasp the oracle's hand and pulls her from the trough and onto the 4 foot walkway covering the trough.
Once on the walkway, Rhialtyra and Riley steadily gain their footing and neither slips in the patches of sludge over the walkway.
Riley pinches his nose once he knows Rhia is safe. "And I thought our mate Connor was strange for swimming in the river the other night..." He winks and then heads off to help the others.
"May I move past to check the door?" If allowed, Riley moves past the others and checks the door for traps.
If there are no traps, he puts his ear on the door and listens.
The iron door is much like the others, as far as Riley can see. Once again, there are no traps to be found upon or around the surface/frame. Listening, Riley's hearing is only met with silence. Nothing seems to be moving on the other side of the closed door.
Riley attempts to open the door and finds it is unlocked.
"The door is unlocked mates and I do not hear anything on the other side. Connor, would you like to do the honors since you are best equipped to protect the group?"
Riley moves to the side so Connor can open and move through. Riley readies his sword just in case.
"The door is unlocked mates and I do not hear anything on the other side. Connor, would you like to do the honors since you are best equipped to protect the group?"
Connor nods to Riley and he kicks the door open and peers into the gloom.
"Felix, my friend - can we get some light inside?" he asks the Man-Cat, hoping that the lights will enter the room and make what is inside visible before they advance.
As Connor kicks the door, a dull *thud* can be heard as his booted foot strikes the iron surface. The door swings wide open and two dancing lights move into the next space to reveal another passageway - same width as all the other stone corridors they had passed through. At the end of its path, the tunnel turns left.
As Connor kicks the door, a dull *thud* can be heard as his booted foot strikes the iron surface. The door swings wide open and two dancing lights move into the next space to reveal another passageway - same width as all the other stone corridors they had passed through. At the end of its path, the tunnel turns left.
Connor peers into the entrance and sees the corner loop to his left and wonders at the noise.
There is foul sorcery at work in this place... We have seen a spirit - or some wizard's trick - demand food and drink... And then one of our own was compelled by some dark, arcane power to impale himself in that filthy chair...
His thoughts tack back to the mysterious missing magician who's home they had been unable to enter prior to this and Connor's eyes narrow.
He turns to his companions -
"It is said that the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Wyverns had magi in their ranks who would make their sword scions invisible before battle..."
He glances back to the tunnel, thinking.
"We have seen many strange things in these tunnels, and I do not trust the noises that I have heard. Perhaps it is nothing, but I wish to be sure."
He looks at the two women behind him, his thoughts shifting to what Felix had said to them before in the earlier room.
His free hand runs against his own flesh - his own human flesh - and he wonders at something.
Then he shakes his head, putting aside that random thought and continues.
"If one of you is able to see if there is some magical threat beyond that would be good," he says slowly, watching them carefully.
He turns to Felix -
"Felix, you have keen senses, tell me - do you smell Man-Flesh in the room beyond?" he asks, hoping that the Man-Cat's excellent sense of smell may sniff out a possible invisible enemy before they formally advance.
Felix inhales deeply, searching for any scents.
Riley watches Felix and then attempts it himself. He tries to mimic the charismatic man/cat's movements by lifting his chin and sniffing in the air. "Hmmm...perfume and...slime...oh never mind...that's Rhia. I've got nothing, Felix. You?"
After his joke, he moves over next to Connor and puts his hand on the warrior's shoulder. "I hope we do not end up fighting invisible enemies mate."
Riley moves over next to Connor and puts his hand on the warrior's shoulder. "I hope we do not end up fighting invisible enemies mate."
Connor feels the touch, but he keeps his eyes faced on a possible threat before them.
"Aye..."
"The enemy that is hidden from us is the enemy that is often the most dangerous," he says softly.
Then he turns and glances back at the two females in the party for a long moment, studying them.
His eyes move to Riley, then, and he favors the Half-Elf with a small, crooked smile.
Then he waits to discover what it is that Felix smells...
The thud that Connor had heard was simply the one issued by his own boot striking the iron door. There is no other sound coming from the corridor beyond and the only smell Felix can trace with any certainty is the pungent smell of the green sludge in the trough and now all over Rhia, who is standing close to the archaeologist. The smell of the sludge confounds Felix's senses. There is no draught in the corridor and the narrow, stone corridor is filled with only stale, settled air in general.
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As Connor hears the report from Felix about a lack of anything from the corridor, he shrugs his shoulders and strides down the hall and turns the corner.
Despite his earlier concerns about a magical threat it seems he is not interested in waiting for someone to use Detect Magic at this time and is simply moving on.
"Anila, love, do you happen to have any magics to clean Rhia? Though I have thoroughly enjoyed teasing her, it would be great if we could free her from her misery."
Riley follows behind Connor a bit, hoping the warrior doesn't set off a trap. When he gets to the corner, he pauses and then peaks around it to see where it leads. He motions for the others to fall in behind if they so choose.
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"Anila, love, do you happen to have any magics to clean Rhia? Though I have thoroughly enjoyed teasing her, it would be great if we could free her from her misery."
"Gladly." she responds to Riley.
Anila turns toward Rhia waving her hands in a side to side motion and mutters the short incantation to clean the sludge off.
"That should do it. Shall we continue on?"she asks. She smiles, pleased to help her fellow aasimar and continues with the group.
Rhia looked at Anila woefully, as though in agreement with Riley's assessment. It bad been the safer choice, but significantly less disgusting.
At Anila's casting, though, she smiled brightly, significantly cleaner and all the more pleased for it. "Thank you, Anila! I truly appreciate feeling clean again."
Turning to Riley, she added, "And you, Riley, for thinking of it." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek before beginning to check ahead for any spells.
"I hope we find more than just that illusion from last time," she noted to Anila before she began gesturing and incanting.
Anila's magic cleansed the stench and filth of the ancient sludge from Rhialtyra. Yet, there are light scorch marks on her clothing from her measured walk through the sludge.
The oracle studies the corridor before her as she releases her magic, attempting to locate a possible magical aura. But none is to be found.
The group walk on, down and then across the long corridor floor; Felix's dancing lights illuminating the passageway revealing nothing more than old stone, fragments of rock, cobwebs and rodent droppings. Felix can smell the earthen stone and stale air around him as he passes through the corridor.
At the end of the hallway, you reach an iron door with a small barred window in its centre. You can see through to a plain, ten-foot square room with a windowless iron door on the opposite wall beyond.
Through the bars of the iron door, Felix catches a very faint scent of something - beyond the chamber - a kerosene/oil odour of a kind - but then it is gone.
The iron door here is locked, but in terrible condition.
Felix calls out quietly and says Careful Riley! I smell oil or something of the kind in the next room. Perhaps a trap or perhaps a spilled container, either way be careful and check thoroughly. Felix then sends one of his dancing lights through the bars, illuminating the room beyond.
Felix calls out quietly and says Careful Riley!"
Connor turns and looks behind him at Riley and Felix, his eyebrow lifting in surprise.
"Fear not, my friend, we will be," he says to the Man-Cat.
Connor turns to face the gated door and sees that it is indeed in terrible condition, so he slams his booted foot into it.
Felix calls out quietly and says, "Careful Riley! I smell oil or something of the kind in the next room. Perhaps a trap or perhaps a spilled container, either way be careful and check thoroughly."
Riley pulls out his tools and starts to move up to check the door.
"Fear not, my friend, we will be!"
Before he has the chance, the barbarian charges forward and kicks the door.
Felix sends through his dancing lights through the bars and issues a warning to take care and as Riley moves to investigate the door and lock, the barbarian, Connor, lifts his booted foot and slams with all his might into the unstable iron door. It gives under the force of the kick and opens, but the iron door now sits precariously on its iron hinges, the door warped and in danger of falling.
The sound of the door twisting under the kick echoes through the hallways (and possibly beyond).
The sound of the door twisting under the kick echoes through the hallways (and possibly beyond).
Connor turns a glance to Riley -
"After you, my friend," he says with a dry smile as the door hangs there.
Then he turns to the others -
"That the door was barred means something of note was beyond it; can anyone sense the presence of magic?" he asks them.
Through the doorway, the barbarian scans the small, ten-foot square chamber, lit with the dancing lights, but cannot see any threats in its plain interior - only the full iron door on the opposite wall.
When the door busts open and teeters on its hinges, Riley points at it: "Take that b$+@#!" He smiles at Connor, then reacts to his suggestion. He moves into the room cautiously and starts looking around as Felix's lights begin to illuminate it. He readies his sword in case trouble is lurking.
Riley slowly moves over to the next iron door and inspects it. If he does not determine there is a trap, he will attempt to see if it is locked.
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Connor turns to face the gated door and sees that it is indeed in terrible condition, so he slams his booted foot into it.
Riley sets foot over the threshold and enters. His eyes quickly scan the small chamber for sign of threat and trap alike. He can note none. Moving to the opposite wall, he looks over the other iron door and checks to see if it is locked. It is, but, it is in the same condition as the door Connor had kicked in moments earlier.
Then a booming, disembodied voice fills the room,
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Connor turns to face the gated door and sees that it is indeed in terrible condition, so he slams his booted foot into it.Felix's Reply
The booming voice startles Riley and he flinches. He turns and looks at the others with wide eyes. "I think the pass phrase is Connor's boot. What do you guys think?" Riley attempts to move back and let the barbarian do his thing.