"We seem to have scared off that thing for now. Let's scout this island, but be ready"
Wulfric straps on his shield and readys his guisarme.
Vilesse frowns at the bone-levers. "What could these be for?" She looks at the others. "Shall we try them and see?"
The Spirits of Wisdom and Caution say to leave them be... but the spirits of Danger and Adventure say to pull this one here yes. Ausk says as he points to the left most lever.
Sheeha flies near Ausk and he perks up, noticing Wilf's injury. Aha, you took a wound, Sheeha says you are a mighty warrior! Spirit of Battle says you have great Strength yes! and with Wilf's permission he lays his hands on the man and says Mother Forest, I use your Mojo to heal this one, servant of the land.
"Thanks. Hope that thing doesn't come back when we're trying to leave. "
huddled into a ball to try and get warm, Tomis mind wanders as he listens to Ausk talk about spirits. He considers his own dreams that have led him to this strange place, and then with an odd memory of the dolphins he had seen on the boat trip to the lonely coast popping into his mind he remembers the sailors saying some believed they were protective spirits that watched over travellers.
A strange warmth suffuses his limbs and then with a popping splash, a dolphin appears nearby in the lake.
Ausk watches the little guy and recognizes the spirit of the Great Dolphin as it passes through him Oho, You speak to the Spirits as well little man!? Why did you not tell me! Great Dolphin sends his son to speak with us, yes.
"Wonder if those bones are levers that do something?"
" Well i guess it is worth a try, it is either that or a lot of swimming! But which one first? Whoa, how did that dolphin turn up?"
Tomi looks at Ausk, eyes wide.
i think... i think i just realised it myself.
Vilesse looks curiously at Tomi, clearly not understanding what he was talking about. She shakes her head and looks back at Wilf and Wulfric. "Ausk suggested we start on the left, so let's do that."
As the groups marvels over Tomi's newfound spiritual awakening and puzzles over whether or not to pull the bone levers, the sound of rushing water heralds the angry return of the creature. It slices through the current straight at Tomi's dolphin
;
The dolphin whistles in pain and alarm, badly wounded by the lightning swift attack.
Ausk pulls the leftmost lever.
Ausk pulls the north-most lever and is rewarded with the sound of grinding stone. a two foot wide stone causeway emerges from the lake ending its movement a few inches above the turbulent, blood‐red waters . It stretches from the island northeast into darkness.
Wilf will carefully head across the causeway (half speed).
Careful strong one. You can see in the dark yes? Ausk says as he follows Wilf down the catwalk...
Vilesse follows Ausk cautiously across the causeway, mentally directing her dancing lights to light the way for Wilf.
"Tomi can you bring the dolphin closer to the causeway or the island. I could then reach, attack the creature and protect your dolphin."
Wulfric will move out onto the causeway, after the others.
Tomi's dolphin twists away from its attacker and comes at it with a powerful slam that drives the creature off. It retreats once again into the darkness.
The group cautiously picks their way across the slick causeway. Vilesse's light reveals the far shore (about 110 ft more for Wilf - one more round of half speed movement)
An archway topped by a snarling demonic face at its apex pierces the natural cavern wall ahead. On either side of the face, small but intricately detailed figures carved in the act of fleeing decorate the stone. A portcullis of fused bones wards against further progress.
Wilf will continue carefully towards the archway.
Ausk moves forward. The spirits here...they are Cold,Uncaring...
Ausk looks at the skeletal gate and sniffs the air while Sheeha flies to perch on his shoulder
Sheeha says we must take great care, yes.
Tomi shrugs and says -
i dont know if it will do what i say... im not even sure how i summoned it.
stepping onto the causeway cautiously, tomi nevertheless attempts to call the dolphin to his side.
The dolphin splashes towards Tomi in response to his call. Ausk and Wilf move onto the rocky shelf while the others make their way across. Ausk's nose can pick up nothing but the acrid tang of the blood lake. Looking around, Wilf and Ausk see the skeletal remains of several individuals lying against the cavern wall.
Ausk inspects the gate a little closer, walking up to it and even touching it. Spirit of Bones...Spirit of Death, what say you here. Anger, Acceptance, yes?
"Might be another of those water critters over yonder. " pointing to the roiled patch of water.
While the other three lit the way, Vilesse directed one of her lights to float just above the surface of the water. If that revealed nothing, she planned on putting the lantern under the surface entirely.
"As Wilf said, someone keep an eye on that patch of water. Also the skeletons don't appear to have died violent deaths, they may have drowned, so be aware this lever may reset and the bridge sink again."
Wulfric tries to stay within reach of the dolphin, hoping the watery creature comes within range.
Since the portcullis is only made of bone, Wilf will try to break his way through it.
Vilesse moves up to inspect the patch of turbulent water, but even submerging one of her lights below the surface reveals nothing further, the illumination being mostly swallowed up by the opaque redness of the blood lake
When Ausk touches the gate,the spirits of bone and death answer Ausk...forcibly.
Ausk gasps in fear, and begins sprinting away from the gates at top speed. Sheeha calls in confusion and flies off into the darkness.
Wilf also runs for it.
"Wilf, Ausk, what is happening? Where are you going?"
Vilesse looks in the direction Wilf and Ausk are running away from. Seeing nothing that would have caused such a response from the two men, she looks more closely at the gate itself.
"AIEEE!! The Gate! It's gonna kill me!"
Wilf and Ausk look as if they had had just been kiised by death herself. They both turn and flee heedlessly back along the causeway, shouldering Tomi out of the way in their haste to escape whatever hs terrified them so...
... In their mad dash they both quickly slip on the causeway, splashing and floundering in the water.
As if it had been waiting for just such a moment, the watery creature that has been stalking the party since they came down into the lake comes speeding out of the darkness to attack the panicked adventurers
Wulfric sees the creature and yells a warning, chopping at it with his long hafted pole arm as it charges by.
Ausk tries futilely to bring up his spear but the creature slams into him, knocking him clear of the causeway and the shore! He seems to have been pushed into some sort of current, and can feel it pulling him down and towards the patch of turbulent water to the north.
Party is up
Ausk: (Frightened 2/6 rnds; shaken 2/60 rnds) Must flee. May make a DC20 swim check to move 1/4 speed. Failure sweeps you 1 square downstream.
Wilf: (frightened 2/6 rnds, prone) Must flee. May throw yourself into the water and pass a DC15 swim check to move 1/4 speed, or rise from prone and pass a DC12 acrobatics check to flee along the causeway (provoking AoO from the movement)
Wulfric, Vilesse, Tomi, Dolphin: free to act.
Wilf will try to swim away.
Ausk gurgles a bit as he is swept along.
"I'll try and keep the thing busy, someone throw Ausk a rope or grab his spear or something."
Careful to not slip, Vilesse whips her longspear around to hold out to Ausk, haft first. "Grab on and climb out!"
Tomi rushes over to help Vilesse haul in Ausk...
Tomi's dolphin chirps bravely and cirlces around the creature, interposing itself between it and Wilf...
;
... slamming into it hard enough that it discorporates into the lake that formed it.
With the threat eliminated, Wulfric, Tomi and Vilesse manage to drag Ausk from the current and restrain him until the worst affects of the gate's curs wear off. Wilf makes it the to central island, where he also manages to regain his composure.
The group now stands split,with Wilf on the central island with the bone levers, the others on the far shore with the gate. As Wilf shakes some of the water off himself, there is a grinding noise. The left lever resets and the causeway slowly sinks back under the surface of the lake.
Ausk: 17/17 HP, shaken for 5 minutes
Tomi: 22/22 HP; summon monster (1/6 used), 4 more rounds for dolphin
Vilesse: 13/13
Wilf: 19/23 HP
Wulfric: 24/24 HP
Will will pull the lever once more and then carefully cross the causeway again.
Spirits of Fear and Bone! Ausk shouts while the party sits on him. Afterwards he says This one thanks you for your aid. With it not, I would have drowned yes. Sheeha thinks so. the owl flies down and perches on the half-orc's shoulder.
Ausk dries himself and says I'll see what the spirits say about that gate
"Hold there Wilf, if this causeway keeps resetting, we need to keep someone on the central island or we can't get back and based on you and Ausk we might not be getting through this gate in a hurry,"
"OK, that makes sense. " and he will wait as suggested.
The portcullis radiates faint abjuration and necromantic magic, though currently dormant - or recharging.
Wilf stays on the island for now, and observes that the causeway resets about two minutes after the left hand lever is pulled.
With some time to concentrate, Vilesse surmises that the demonic face carved above the gate likely represents the demon lord Lhanskarr, master of the Labyrinth of Wandering Souls. The figures carved around the gate would then represent doomed souls fleeing his atavistic hunger for their cowardice.
tomi shouts -
pull some more levers Wilf - lets see what they do!
"I believe the fear trap is resetting. If we want to try the gate, we should do it now." Vilesse looks for something that looks like a lock or a crank to raise the portcullis.
Wilf will try the other levers to see what they do.
Wilf pulls the other two levels. The right hand lever activates a second causeway, parallel to the first. The central level sets gears grinding and groaning, and the bone portcullis shudders as it rises.
Beyond the archway, a wide flagged road slopes downward through a wide tunnel. The sound of tumbling water fills the air.
Wilf will head across the causeway again since it appears the path is clear. He will look for something he can use to jam the portcullis open.
Ausk moves forward through the portcullis chanting slowly his spear rising and falling rhythmically.