Stepping into the room, Ka'narg looks at the statuary with the shields. He turns his gaze over to Jaer. "Did Roldare say we would need both the shields and the keys, or something like that? Can the shields be taken off of the statues?"
"Something like that," Jaer says, nodding back to Ka'narg. "O'course your guess is as good as mine; but with names like Home and Family...don't seem right to leave them hangin' there, now does it?"
Giving the statue another quick once-over, Jaer drops her pack and rolls a shoulder, hoping no one expects the Halfing to lug about two oversized shields on their quest. "I'll see if I can't get 'em off, if it suits ya; unless someone's got a better idea?"
"If it is a better shield than the one i gots then i will use one..."
"Home and Family are two of the precepts that Erastil holds dear," Irgal recites, somewhat rotely. "I wouldn't be surprised if the required symbolism teaches the value of protecting these precepts, as in turn, they protect you."
Gulping, he adds, "Of course, I spent far more time in the fields than at my desk... I'll... see if I can determine the symbols."
Home and family... She mutters for the first time she sounds kind of sad
Harken will follow behind the nagaji but wont get too close since he is superstitious of magik..."Did you find anything useful over there" he asks from behind his shield...
Erm, shields. Found shields.
At the point where the group step onto the lower level, the statue suddenly starts to move. It strides forward, off its dais. At the same time, the steps that led down individually rotate 45 degrees, so that where there were steps, there are now two long slides.
The statue is moving its arms menacingly, so that the shields now appear to be weapons.
Ka'narg, still distracted by the burning stench from the level above, doesn't notice until it is on late the statue begin to move. Cursing, he watches as the steps near to him turn into a slide that would send him crashing into Harken if he tried to use them.
He drops the double axe unceremoniously to the ground and reaches for the masterwork crossbow given to him by Roldare. Ka'narg loads one of his crossbow bolts into the weapon and quickly takes aim at the statue, pulling the trigger.
"...Nooo..." Jaer pauses, feeling precariously small in the shadow of the towering statue as it shifts. "...They wouldn't..."
Well, whatever her thoughts as to the moving hunk of sculpture, Jaer slings a hand to her second sheath and slips out a worn dagger, looking for some manner of weakness to exploit in the statue's construction. Eventually she settles on trying to ram her short sword into the construct's knee. It's just about the only thing she can reliably reach anyway.
still distracted by the burning stench from the level above
"What the blazes?"
Irgal looks the statue over and at Harken, Jaer, and Keshy below. He quickly starts a chant. "Deliver the strength of many to a single champion. Deliver the strength of many to a single champion."
Oh boy. This is another part of the test right? A really scary part of the test? And why do I feel tingly? Keshik will strike out at the statue, slashing at the other knee.
Ka'narg's crossbow bolt misses the statue by well over a yard, pinging harmlessly into the wall behind, and Jaer's sword thrust only manages to graze the creature. Keshy's sweep of the scythe manages to both undercut the shields and to do real damage to the wooden surface of the brute as it thumps forward into battle.
In return, the statue swings its great tower shields, on the one hand completely missing Jaer - who jumps deftly aside - but thumping straight into Keshy with the other, wounding him badly.
Illya casts snowball firing a shard of ice and snow at the statue.
"Now is not the time to be singing little brother....and why is the forked tongue growing bigger? Let me get close enough to strike at this statue..."
Harken moves to a clear spot to strike the statue...
Illya's snowball misses the statue, but Harken's swing hits home.
Ka'narg growls as the bolt clatters harmlessly against the wall, reaching for a second blog and setting it into the crossbow. He takes another aim at the creature and pulls the trigger once again.
As she takes a brief moment to un-jamming her short sword from the statue's joint, Jaer's eyes fly up just in time to catch Keshy take the full brunt of a shield. As the creature pushes into the motion with great success, she catches the glimpse of something...odd; a purposeful, familiarly-shaped hole against its back.
"A keyhole?!" she announces incredulously, readying her weapons for another assault. "Why the heck's this thing got a keyhole!?"
Gah As Keshik begins to grow in size, he recovers his footing from the assault to make a heavy over-head swing.
Damage: 2d6 + 9 ⇒ (6, 5) + 9 = 20
"A keyhole? Do we even have a key?"
Irgal pulls out his bow and fires.
Not wanting to hit the large lizard paladin, he shoots poorly.
Ka'narg's bolt bounces off the statue's wooden skin, while Irgal misses completely. Jaer manages to graze it, but Keshy, with his increased stature, smashes a deep groove along its front. However it still stands.
The statue swings the massive shields at Harken and Jaer in turn, but doesn't manage to connect.
Let's try this again
Illya fires another blast of ice and snow.
The snowball hits the statue, enough to do enough damage to finally stop it. the remains of the statue collapse back on to the dais, causing the stairs to reset back to their original configuration.
Mostly recovered from his disoriented state, Keshik watches the statue collapse.
Yeah! Go Illya! Keshik jumps in joy, but seems to rethink doing so mid-jump, losing potential altitude, and ducking slightly upon landing.
Illya walks down the steps, The rest of you did most of the work honestly, is everyone alright to continue?
Ka'narg watches the wooden statue collapse back onto its dais and lowers the crossbow's aim toward the ground. Satisfied that the statue will not be moving again, he removes his pack and begins to reach for a couple of spare crossbow bolts to put into closer reach for the occasion he needs to shoot again. Picking up his double axe, he makes his way gingerly down the stairs, ready to attempt to leap down them if they turn back into a ramp again.
"I am well to continue, but was there anything of use within the wooden statue?" he queries, offering to aid Harken, Jaer, and Keshy search the fallen statue.
I uh... yep gimme a sec... Keshik breathes out raggedly. He gives out his normal slightly-too-wide smile, and stumbles over to the statue, shrinking all the way.
The two shields can be detached, otherwise there's nothing on the statue.
Should the shields be removed, they're big enough to be used as tower shields. They're fairly heavy and unwieldy, poorly designed for regular combat, and weigh about 60 pounds each.
"I am fine little sister, but I think Ka'narg is glad he wore his brown pants. Is there anything of interest or value here? Or do we continue to rescue the maiden?"
Narrowing his eyes, Ka'narg grumbles tersely. "Do not mistake not engaging in a crowded melee as fear, Harken. Or perhaps you'd have rathered I slide down the ramp and bowled you over so that neither of us could engage the statue."
"Friend you take everything so seriously, it is bad for your health" Harken says slapping the woodsman on the shoulder and goes to watch the hallway while the others look around...
"Perhaps you are right" Ka'narg says, a slight sigh escaping his lungs. "But I suppose until the situation we find our selves in is resolved, I would prefer to be too serious than not enough."
Irgal looks everyone over. "How is everyone? Do you need healing?"
"Dandy as ever," Jaer answers Irgal after a brief look over the statue, the tip of her boot bouncing off one of the creature's gargantuan shields. "Hope no one's expectin' me to carry one," she says, tone clipped as if to get their internal nitpicking under control. "Them things better be worth their weight."
For a moment she gives a second look at the strange hole in the sculpture's back, wondering what use the thing might've had for a key, before turning back to the matter at hand. "In the meantime, I can take a quick look ahead if it suits ya." And someone grabs my gear. Though she keeps that one mute given the size of their prizes. "Knowing my luck, my first aid'll do more harm than good."
The smell of burning from the previous room is beginning to permeate, albeit mildly, from the other side of the tunnel.
Take a look but be careful, we will be along shortly. Now are these shields needed or are they just a waste of space
Ka'narg sniffs at the air and frowns at the smell of smoke getting stronger. "The smell of smoke from the other room worries me. It has been steadily getting worse, and I fear it blocking our only exit before too long. We should check it out." he says, gathering his gear and making his way back toward the tunnel.
"Don't need to tell me twice." Jaer turns on her heel, jumping two steps at a time and snatching up her own goods. "I swear if our escape route's on fire, this 'ere test'll end up the 'Crypt of the Everflame'; never mind the dang quest."
Irgal looks everyone over. "How is everyone? Do you need healing?"
Keshik struggles up the stairs, keeping the smile up.
Nah, I-I'm fine. I guess it wouldn't hurt to check... check out the burn smell. I'm still not used to seeing things on fire. Smoldering, sure. But an open flame sounds bad.