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Once the last lizard man falls, Mae comes over to take a closer look at anyone that was in the fray.
"Is anyone hurt? Don't try to be a tough guy and lie if you did. I won't have any festering wounds showing up on my charges that's for sure!" Mae then proceeds to give everyone a quick once over to make sure. After which she'll take a look at the lizard folk out of medical curiosity and to see what they're wearing.
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Durun grimaces as the rusty chainshirt falls apart. "I am not injured, Lady Mae." He takes the time to take out a rag and make an impromptu mask to help filter out some of the smell. "Let us move on before more of those creatures ambush us from the next room." He moves up next to the door and listens into the next room.
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Now that the immediate danger has passed, he tears a strip of clothe and ties it over his nose and mouth to try to keep some of that stench out. "My stars! That is horrendous. I do hope that there are no more of these further in."
He then notices the items displayed around the room and pulls out his journal and begins taking notes and trying to copy down images. "This is simply marvelous. Look at the age on some of these pieces."
You can hear growling and water dripping and splashing from the northern door.
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As Durun and Lady Mae begin planning, Celegon finishes up his detailed, but sloppy, notes. "So... we're thinking possible dogs?" he inquires. "Might as well be ready for anything..." He reaches over his shoulder for his bow and cocks his head quizzically until he realizes that he dropped it back in the other room.
He hurries back with it and nocks an arrows staying well clear of the door in case something makes its way through.
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Celegon nods to Lady Mae from the other room, then returns with 4 javelins that have been wiped off on some of the old equipment nearby. "It's the best I can do, unfortunately. I don't know if it got the stench off. That smell is still permeating everything in here." He hands the javelins to Mae and then gets his bow ready and asks, "Want me to open this door magically as well so everyone can be ready for what's inside? It may also help with traps."
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Mae grabs up the javelins, and gives them a quick sniff and look over. She then puts away her dagger and tucks three of the mini spears into her belt and holds the last.
"Thanks Celegon. It is Celegon right? Sorry I feel like we really haven't even met yet! Everyone seems as ready as they're going to get so I guess open the door?"
Opening the door reveals yet another octagonial room. Judging from the shelves lining the walls, this darkened room might once have been a storeroom, though its contents have long since succumbed to the passage of time. A crack in the northern wall has apparently let in some rainwater, which has collected in a large puddle on the floor. In the puddle, sits a horned lizard-like creature. Small bolts of lightning crackling from its horns all the way down its scales before dissipating in the puddle. It looks at you excitedly and a small arc of lightning appears between the horns, but makes no advances towards the door.
The creature does not seem to be hostile towards you.
This creature is a Shocker Lizard. They can make odd household pets, assuming the owner does not mind receiving electrical shocks from it when it is excited or happy.
Ask an additional question about it whenever you beat the DC by 5 or it's multiplier.
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Celegon stands with his bow taut, examining the creature, while waiting for the creature to show signs of aggression.
He calmly says, "Hold on just a second guys," as he lowers his bow and pulls his pack down off of his back. Setting it down in front of him, he opens it up and begins digging through, trying to keep from crumpling the few pieces of paper that didn't make it back into his scroll case. Finally finding some of his trail rations, he takes a small piece of dried meat and tosses it to the lizard.
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After Celegon opens the door Mae will step up to the doorway to see the full inside of the room and smells the air.
"Well at least it smells a bit better in here.. mildew is better than that lizard stink back there for sure." Once she sees the lizard in the puddle she stops. "Oh... sorry, I didn't mean you stink as a lizard umm... aren't you a cute and zappy little fellow... I wonder what you are?"
The lizard lets out another small arc and proceeds to steal the dried meat into "his own" dark corner of the room, where it chews happily.
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Mae squeels with delight as the little zappy lizard snags the food and backs away chewing and purring with delight. "Ahhh! So cute! Maybe we should have brought more food then we could have all gone home with new cute pets!" She then proceeds to snag the rations back from Durun and toss a bit of them towards the dark corner with the lizard.
This adventuring thing isn't so bad.. its more like a big petting zoo!
Once the creature is done with the current meal, it runs towards the Mae-made pile and snags another piece, takes it into the corner and chews it up.
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"Let's make sure to secure this door before we move on, which I suggest we do quickly since we know there are more of those troglodytes in the tower." He looks at the last door. "Looks like probably upwards?"
Once more he gets close to the door and listens intently while the others play with the lizard.
You don't hear anything from the door. The sound of the shock lizard chewing is pretty much the only thing.
Opening the last door on the floor leads you to a circular staircase. It is clearly blocked by debris and rubble on the lowest level, but upper floors seem accessible.
The stairs continue to spiral to the top of the tower. On the 3rd floor, you find a door to the west and nothing else.
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Mae slowly and steadily climbs the tower stairs, doing her best to not trip over anything to give Kiddir away. Not talking apparently slipped her mind, as she whispers to Celegon "What was that cute zappy lizard? Do you know? I wonder how big they get? Was it just a baby?" She's obviously smitten with it.
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'Mostly in such places I'm interested in one question'. Kiddir turns to Lady Mae. 'What the hell do they eat? They were walled up here for centuries...' Without waiting for a reply, he turns away, shrugs, and puts his hand on the door. 'Get ready to heal me, girl. Somehow I have a feeling that I will need this.'
He pushes the door...
Kiddir pushes into the door, but it remains closed. After trying the door handle, you find out this door is locked.
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Mae giggles as Kiddir half walks into the closed door that he clearly expected to swing open.
"My healing is available for everyone for sure, hopefully we won't need it." She says with a more serious face before returning to the 'important' matter at hand. "Maybe Zappy weaseled his way into the room through some cracks after the earthquake, like that water did? Either way, he's super cute and I'm going to bring him home!"
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Celegon climbs up the stairs at the back of the party, trying to protect them from any possible ambush. He whispers back to Mae while climbing, "That was a shocker lizard and he was probably close to full-size. I've actually heard that they make great pets. If we're able to return to the entrance, I'd be up to check on him and see if we can take him with us when we leave this place. He can give some pretty good shocks when he gets excited, but other than that he'd be great."
The dead silence after Kiddir's question might be taken as an answer. The only sound you hear are tremors of the rocks beneath you shifting just slightly, and smell of charred flesh fills your nostrils. Soon, you realise it's the door that is the source of the smell. Or rather - the seams in it.
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Lady Mae stands about looking lost in thought as Kiddir mentions picking locks, absentmindedly sniffing the javelin then wrinkling up her nose in distaste.
"Oh don't look at me. I'm a good little girl who stays out of trouble. No picking locks for me. Oh, did anyone else notice that burnt smell?"
She then takes out a vial from her belt pouch and dabs a bit on her wrists and also the javelins. A faint waft of perfume attempts to cover up the lizardmen stink.
Well, it was worth a shot I guess.
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Celegon stands still for a second listening and sniffing the air at the back of the group. "I do smell that, but it also seems like the ground is shaking a bit. That's very discomforting. Should we try to break down the door? Makes me worried that there are more of those troglodytes inside eating on something." He shivers.
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Mae's eyes go wide when Durun mentions the subject of our quest. "Do you really think it could be him? Raaroasting over a fire or something? We've got to do something!" She says, her voice quivering with fear as her mind conjures up the most horrifying thing possible.
She looks to the rest of the group, especially Kiddir and Zahira "We've got to save him! Smash the door down if you have to!"
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"We may be too late, if so," Zahira shrugs. "I don't hear any screams. Perhaps they're just having dog - or bat, or lizard - for dinner, and it's the height of impropriety to just barge in on people in the middle of dinner."
Zahira looks over her weapon, wondering if she could force the lock with it.
Tremors are probably parts of the wall collapsing due to aftershock. As for the smell, it's more of a combination of the two.
The four of you press against the door a few times. Strength in numbers seems to be prevalent here, and the door comes down from the hinges and crashing down into the room beyond.
Two stone altars, one black and one white, sit at either end of this large chamber, which takes up two wings of the tower on this level. The crumbling remains of wooden benches sag in front of each altar beneath rotting ceiling tapestries. Carved symbols and writings snake along the walls. The burnt corpses of two troglodytes lie on the floor in the center of the room.
The room has one more surprise, however. As you compose yourself from whatever is left of the door on the floor, you notice two humanoid skeletal beings engulfed in flames turning their attentions towards you. Their jaws open in a noiseless shriek and long finger bones ready to rend and char flesh of the living once again.
These undead are burning skeletons. Compared to their "regular" counterparts, the heat they are known for causes severe burns to anyone who remains in their close proximity for even a short while. Much like their non-burning cousins, they are easily destroyed with blunt instruments.
Apart from the burns they cause, they also emit a small "last will" fiery explosion when destroyed.
Turn 1 - Go if bolded
Celegon
Durun
Mae
Kiddir
Zahira
Bones
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[dice="common" Knowledge (Religion)]1d20+2[/dice]
Zahira's no mage, but she recognizes the distinctive decorative scheme of the mad god of magic when she sees it.
Of course, there are more immediate concerns; she sets her pata aside in favor of her cestus, and gets ready to strike the first one to come near.