"Do you mind if I hang on to that scroll for now? I believe I would be be able to invoke its power, should the need arise." Finch says, referring to the scroll of Barkskin.
"Do you see anything major, Bellanie?" Finch whispers as Bellanie looks into the room.
Ducking her head around the corner, Bellanie finds a closed door, likely leading to the first room she observed in the Plague House.
"Probably our front-liners," Sasha answers, trying to get a look at what lies down the stairs.
"Sounds about right. The potions will do far more good there."
Corentin accepts the potion of magic weapon but offers the potion of protection to the party. "My armor serves me well, another might benefit more from this one."
Seeing nothing of interest in the adjoining room Bellanie moves to the stairs noting to Cor "Give me a moment" before she slinks down the stairs.
Nodding to the others, Iacobus quietly follows several paces behind Bellanie, his ears cocked for the slightest sound.
Corentin gives Bellanie the space she requests before following. To the others he asks, "Dow we have magic to light the way if needed or shall I light a torch?"
Bellanie carefully descends the old stairwell, into the depths below. The stone stairs end in a stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room. Around the corner to the south, a lone statue has been relegated to a dusty corner behind the stairs. The statue is that of a woman, in a pose of peace, with both her hands wrapped loosely around the hilt of her sheathed sword, which looks oddly askew.
Sasha follows behind Johan, her longsword at the ready.
Bellanie heads back up "Opens to natural caverns. Two doors out, but a bit dark to see."
As the others get light sources going Bellanie heads back down to take a closer look at the statue.
Finch holds up the magically-lit pebble from earlier, offering the party a light source.
"Doesn't the hilt look a little off to you all? Could it be some kind of secret trick?"
As Finch brings his light to the statue, it is indeed obvious that the hilt appears a little off. It also reveals that the sword is actually real, and not stone or a part of the statue itself. As light floods into the room a few of the visible passageways become more obvious, including a portcullis to the north.
Just beyond that portcullis, Finch hears the sound of something, or someone, shuffling in the darkness beyond.
"We should take a closer look at the statue but it will keep until we find out what's moving around over there." Corentin says quietly.
Bellanie comments "Sword looks real." then shrugs moving on looking up the hallway at the portcullis before checking the nearby door.
"Agreed," Sasha nods, moving towards the shuffling sound.
"Hold on," Finch whispers, holding a hand up.
"Something's coming... Over there..." He points.
The noise from the room beyond the portcullis to the north dies dies down. For a few moments you hear only the steady breathing of your companions, shallow and quiet. Another noise comes from the north again, the sound of wood against stone, and a grunt.
Hearing the noise coming from up the hallway Bellanie pulls out her dagger then also gets a mirror out of one of her belt pouches. Using the mirror to look up the hallway, while trying to stay concealed.
Hearing the noise coming from up the hallway Bellanie pulls out her dagger then also gets a mirror out of one of her belt pouches. Using the mirror to look up the hallway, while trying to stay concealed.
[dice=Stealth]1d20+12
Sasha fidgets from one foot to the other, waiting for a decision.
"Bella, do you think the sword on the statue might be a trigger for the portcullis? If not then we can try a different way."
Bellanie slides the mirror back into her belt pouch "Can't see, too dark." She looks across the hall to Cor at his question "Don't think so. Just seems like a real sword that can be taken out of the statue."
With no other obvious way forward Bellanie instead opens the door to see if there is another way around.
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Johan will take a look at the sword, trying to make sure its not trapped or alarmed before he tries to free it from the statue.
I could use me a long sword. When they were issuing weapon back home I was told to pick a sword or a bow and practice with it until I had it mastered. I picked the bow but wanted both.
"Hold on."Finch whispers, glancing at the statue and seeking any magical auras. "I'd like to see if there's any magic around that statue or the sword. Not all traps are mechanical; it could be warded against theft or, in our case, scavenging."
Finch didn't see anything wrong with taking a sword from the abandoned church. It wasn't going to do much good down here; Corentin would likely be able to put it to better use.
As the others debate what to do regarding the sword, Iacobus places himself between them & the doorway from whence the sounds emanate.
The party debates for a moment on the disposition of the weapon until Johan, goal in mind, pulls the weapon from the statue. The sound of metal upon stone rings through the room as the blade pulls free from the stone scabbard. Everything beyond the portcullis becomes quiet, all sounds ceasing.
Bellanie, finding no signs of danger on the door, opens it as quietly as possible. Beyond, the walls of this chamber are pocked with skull-sized cubbyholes, each containing a single brass or clay urn—some long since shattered or dented, others still intact. The room turns to the north, out of Bellanie's current view.
As sound of metal and stone ring out Bellanie looks back seeing Johan pulling out the sword and and shakes her head then looks to Cor. "You might as well lead the way now."
I've got it," Sasha says, stepping to the fore.
Sasha moves forward a bit, looking down the hallway leading east. She notices that the stone continues for a short distance before turning north and continuing on.
Corentin follows Sasha and Galor, axe at the ready.
"Light," Sasha hisses, motioning for someone to hand her a light source.
With the hallway illuminated, Sasha moves forward to the corner, seeing a longer hallway stretching off to the north. About midway down the hall another passage breaks off to the west. At the end of the hall the tunnel turns west, out of view.
"We have two side corridors ahead," Sasha whispers, "Both going left." She creeps to the first corridor and peeks around it.
Moving forward, Sasha comes to the intersection in the hallway, seeing that the corridor to the west moves off and opens up into a larger room. While the details are unclear from this distance, she can make out some sort of design etched into the floor of the room to the west.
Seeing the others move off in the other direction Bellanie follows behind, as Sasha takes the lead, looking down one of the halls Bellanie gets to the other side of her.
Finch falls back to close the march, focusing his attention behind the rest, should someone, or something, try to sneak up on the party.
As the others maneuver down the hall, Iacobus edges toward the chamber from whence the sounds emanated. Cautiously, he glimpses inside before backing out once more to rejoin the others.