Bedlam winks at Aurora.
Ye be minding ta Create Water fer me sack?
The dwarf holds it out. Once soaked, he nods in gratitude before charging the statue (holding his breath!).
As Bedlam enters the room, steam pours out of the stone head's mouth and nose.
The steam envelops Bedlam, who suddenly feels like all of his clothes are little baggy... but he quickly recovers. He may proceed through the sauna and open the doors.
The dwarf places the soaked sack over the statue. He then looks at the group and smiles.
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After dumping a good few gallons of water on Bedlam's bag, as the dwarf requested, Aurora watches with bated breath. When he doesn't seem to die, she nods to the rest of the group, "Let us all move onwards, then."
Patiently, she waits for everyone else to cross first.
Talathel begins to step into party formation, still clearly suspicious of the room.
"Good work, Bedlam and Aurora."
AS Tal steps into the room, there's a sudden WHOOSH of steam from inside the bag--but the cold water condenses it immediately. The same happens when the next party member enters, but when the fourth crosses the threshold, the stone head remains quiet. Out of juice for the day?
Neither of the doors across the room appear to be trapped. The first you enter is empty. The second contains a much larger version of the head (think Olmec heads), and as soon as you open the door, it speaks to you, its lips grinding out a voice of clashing rocks:
"I... am ancient of ages... placed here by Nycristi of old... I am a warp in the fabric... of the destiny of mortals... I can bend time and space, but just a little, ha ha hah... to bring you back or forward in time... if back, I can return the dead to life... if forward, I can bring you knowledge and power from your later days... but I am tired, so do not trifle with me... what do you wish? To return a soul to a body, or to live... a long time, in a short moment?"
The statue then reverts to unmoving silence.
Anzath watches Bedlam’s ummm tactics? curiously over everyone else’s shoulders. When the dwarf makes it unscathed to the other side, she’s thoroughly convinced this place has no rhyme or reason to it. An ultra deadly trap followed by a room full of screaming mushrumps, followed by an empty room, followed by a... steam bath? She merely shakes her head and crosses with everyone else.
When she nears Bedlam, she gives him a sniff and says, “You smell like vet dog.”
Now Anzath is truly confused. She looks to the rest of the group. Maybe she can resurrect one of her recent comrades? But she’d have to find their bodies in this maze. Maybe she can pin point Yaza Mongro’s location. She defers to the group first before making any requests of the head.
“Vho is Nycristi?” She asks her nearest comrade in a whisper.
Anzath mulls over the name.... Nycristi... Nycristi...
Tragershen exchanges a glance with Anzath as he too puzzles over the name.
Knowledge (history)
Knowldge (local)
Also, Tragershen will cast detect magic on the statue, trying to assess if it seems a genuine offer, or if it is a deception. (Universal vs. illusions?)
"If its offer is genuine, we have no one we need restored to life, though we may need that sooner rather than later. And 'live a long time in a short moment'? That sounds like a recipe for disaster for any of us except the elves. Or perhaps the dwarf."
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"DON'T trifle with me, I'm quite magical, I assure you... ha ha ha. Imagine, casting Detect Magic on an enormous, talking stone head. Cease your spell, or you will annoy me."
While only the lips are moving, and while it laughs, there's menace in the head's voice. I can't imagine Trag will keep casting...
Seeing that it isn't just a magic mouth on the statue but a seeming sentience, Tragershen stops the spell abruptly.
He clears his throat, takes a couple paces closer, and addresses Nycristi. "My apologies. I meant no disrespect. Your power seems beyond our understanding. We have no one slain for you to gift with life. Should one of us be slain, could we return to accept your offer? And knowledge and power from later days? Could mere mortals like us survive such a boon?"
"So many questions. I am tired. If you leave without wishing, the wishes will remain. If you never return, so be it."
Tragershen turns to the others. "We should go. But if one or more of us fall, the others should bring them here."
Tragershen takes a quick look around, sees there are no other doors in this room, and heads back to the wet sack statue. There's the other door in that room, too, but the room beyond proves to be totally empty.
Talathel quietly ponders the matter of the stone head.
"If it can and will restore a deceased person to life, that is a resource too precious to squander. It was the correct decision. Let us press on, perhaps with a little more security."
Although certainly bearing quite the inquisitive expression throughout the exchange between the group and the strange entity, Aurora remains silent. Best not to meddle in powers too much greater than her capabilities, after all, although the entity's presence and offers were certainly intriguing...
As they leave its room, she murmurs a low, "That was... interesting..." to her companions.
The party heads east until the passage widens into the biggest room you've seen yet--a high 60 ft ceiling suggests a cathedral, though if there was even an altar or pews, they are long gone. Grotesque statues stand in the niches where stained glass windows would be, had this place been above ground.
The hall continues on the far end of the room.
As they move forward, Anzath occasionally looks back, thinking about the offer made by the great stone head. She came to Rappan Athuk for one reason, and the head may have the clue she needs to accomplish her task. But the promise of resurrection does seem more important, especially in this place. She’s starting to get a feel for her comrades, all capable, it’d be a shame to put her bug hunt above their lives, wouldn’t it?
Entering the subterranean cathedral, Anzath stops her meandering wondering and goes on high alert. Being the largest, most open space they’ve seen so far, she feels this would be the perfect spot for an ambush.
She motions to the group using the silent Drow hand gestures they’ve been practicing, “Be careful. Stay alert.”
She clings to the walls as she presses into the room.
Tragershen slowly follows the others in, taking in the grand space. When he sees the grotesque statues, he immediately becomes suspicious.
Talathel warily advances.
Bedlam nonchalantly rings out his empty sack, as the group continues to explore.
At hearing the talking head proclaim its purpose, the ever pragmatic dwarf decides to ceal it inside; showing his companions how to bypass it.
@ Anzath:
"I am tired. If you leave without wishing, the wishes will remain."
Tragershen sees a bunch of scary statues. They don't ping as magic.
The party can continue to investigate the room, or you may pass through...
Bedlam continues to move, along. The dwarf suddenly hesitates.
Me think dat me heard Something something...
Shrugging his broad shoulders, he continues the exploration.
Talathel awaits the word of his other observant companions before moving on.
Sticking to the walls, Anzath carefully moves toward the other exit. If she makes it without seeing anything off, she'll give the 'all clear' signal.
Anzath makes it across without incident, and the party may continue.
If you do, the passage turns south abruptly before running into a T extending east and west. There are a few doors to the east; to the west, the hall stretches into darkness.
"Let us try those doors to the east, with the now-standardised procedure."
These doors are covered with faint scrawling carvings of apparently random words in Common. The party tries the one on the north end of the eastern side of the tunnel they are exploring:
They believe it is safe, and pop the door. Peering inside, Brand takes an intuitive look into the corner of the room:
He sees a pit trap, and in fact, all of you could see it fairly easily--it is already open. There's another door across the room from the pit trap.
Talathel cautiously approaches the pit trap, to peer into it.
While neither being particularly sneaky nor doing his best job at picking up the details, Tal sees that there are some busted bones in the bottom of the pit.
"There are bones down there. I cannot tell much more than that. Who is deft at climbing?"
Having the blood of extremely cruel peoples in her veins, Anzath wonders, "De trap may not be az simple az ve dink. Go down. Doorz cloze. Terrible beasties. Such mess."
She clucks her tongue and shakes her head, then searches for a lever or anything that might open the doors once shut.
Anzath can't see much from the lip of the trap--it's a pit trap with a few victims in it, but you'd have to be a fool to fall into it. The walls are mostly smooth, but there are a few gaps and holes that could serve as handholds.
"Hmm."
Anzath sets her pack down, takes a rope out and throws one end to Bedlam. She also pulls out a crowbar, which she hands to Brand. Before going down, she also takes out what looks like a set of steel rods, which she unfolds until they click into place to form a 10 foot pole. If she can reach the bottom of the pit with it, she'll poke around to see if it sets anything off.
If nothing happens, or if the pole don't reach, I guess she's going down for a looksee.
Anzath gracefully lowers herself into the pit.
Once down there, she finds a bunch of broken bones and--hidden in a recess a few inches deep in one of the holes in the side of the shaft--a button in the shape of a gargoyle's head.
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"Dere iz a button," Anzath informs the others.
Talathel is given food for thought by Anzen's commentary.
"Hmmm. Is there any indication as to what its purpose is? It may be worth triggering it from up here with your extendible pole."
Bedlam looks around the room for anything else interesting.
Also, checking out the far door.
Anzath will see that triggering the button from above is not an option due to the way the stone is recessed.
Go ahead and roll perception, Bedlam, it's a wooden door so no Stonecunning.
Dis door be bugged! Me be knowing bevause who be insane ta build stuff outa weak wood!