"I do not know much about magic but this does not seem dangerous!" the half-orc states.
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Reggie winces. "Why'd you have to say that, Oloch? That's right up there with 'what's the worst that can happen' for inviting trouble."
He doesn't actually expect any problems either, but moves Rowdy and himself close enough to the pool to assist if and when something goes wrong.
"That whole pool could be a water elemental, or those could be a swarm of animated daggers, or Andy could trigger some ruin that turns the whole pool into acid, or cause a trap door to open that drops him and everything else into the pool into a 100' deep pit, or trigger a catch that releases a horde of flesh eating fish into the pool with him."
Of course, the other halfling is already well within the pool before he starts this list and he speaks loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You're doing great, Andy!" he calls out encouragingly.
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Andy casts Presdidgitation to dry himself off before he catches cold. He then puts his backpack back on and trys the key in the right door.
"Does anyone remember the old wisetale about creatures that burrow into your ear when you listen to doors...."....as he does just that.
Andy reports if he hears anything, then opens the door.
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The party opens the locked door and moves in. A small stone bench sits in the center of this dusty chamber. On the far wall is a faded mural depicting the hero Kassen defeating the mercenaries at the entrance to this crypt, with his blade piercing the chest of the mercenary leader. These figures stand alone in the center of a scene of carnage, with dead villagers and mercenaries all around them. You see a door at in the south of this room that is wide open, revealing a hallway that only goes for a few paces before turning to your left (right on the map) into another door.
You notice that both Kassen and the mercenary leader are wearing golden
necklaces in the mural, each made up of a simple golden chain, from which hangs an oddly shaped medallion. While not identical, the amulets look similar.
Ekat Kassen was a crusader and fortune seeker who came to serve Lastwall in the year 4515 ar. While he fought with distinction, he soon realized that he wanted more from life and left the Lastwall military to find his fortune elsewhere. His travels took him all over the region around Lake Encarthan, and he decided to settle down in 4522 after a very profitable adventure. Using a sizable portion of his fortune, he set out to tame a small area of the Fangwood on the banks of the Tourondel River, making it a natural stopover for those traveling up and down the river to Skelt. For the next 10 years, the town, which was then known as Kassen’s Hold, grew and prospered.
All that changed when Asar Vergas came to Kassen’s Hold with a host of mercenaries under his command. Asar was an old companion of Ekat, and the two had traveled together for some time before splitting up just after Ekat’s last adventure. Over the years, Asar became sure that Ekat had cheated him after that adventure. Promising great wealth to his mercenaries, Asar raided the town relentlessly for 2 months. Finally, the townsfolk managed to locate Asar’s camp in an ancient crypt deep in the forest, and Ekat himself went out to deal with his old companion. The battle was terribly bloody, with only a few townsfolk coming back to tell the tale. In the end, Asar was slain and his mercenaries scattered, but Ekat suffered a mortal wound. He died 2 days later, on the 11th day of Neth, 4535. In honor of their beloved founder, the townsfolk buried Kassen in the ancient crypt, interring his bones in a place of honor, above the simple sarcophagi used to inter Asar, his mercenaries, and the townsfolk that lost their lives in the bitter struggle. They placed an eternal flame above Kassen’s final resting place, so that all who visited might find warmth in the wilderness.
”I would go southeast, too. But are you weakened guys really sure you can continue?!”
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Zoey steps into Oloch's face, despite standing easily a foot shorter than him. At this close range, he can see the puckered, mutilated skin around her right eye, which glares at him with irritation. "Imply weakness on my part again, Oloch, and I will demonstrate why you have repeatedly ended up on your back while I continue to stand tall. When I need to stop, I will be the one to tell you."
”I did not mean any offense. I just wanted to ensure our survival. But a battle is a battle and you are a warrior. Let us walk together and fight!” he says grinning.
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The group opens the door and proceeds in, after they finishing passing into the room, the door slides closed behind them with a slam! In this room a single pillar in the center of the room supports this wide, domed chamber. The pillar is surrounded by a pit, but a stone bridge crosses the pit on the south side. Dozens of arrows jut from holes in the pillar, facing every direction. You can see another door on the east of this room and one on the south of it.
Pseudo-Initiative Order
Combat? Slide
>>>Everyone
Something???
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With a DC of 0, Stigand detects that this pillar is a trap! By simple guesswork, you realize that the arrows are probably going to shoot out, but with your keen senses, you can tell that all of the arrows are very dull and will not likely harm you as much as typical sharp arrows.
Stigand sees that the mechanism to disarm the trap is across the little bridge bit.
Oloch looks at Zoey and just shakes his had. Then, he looks into her eyes and says "Woman, you are very brave but that can sometimes kill you."
Then he scratches his head and says to nobody in particular "Well, I do rarely hinder people to get themselves killed ... so please go forth."
Then Oloch lays prone as well.
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Zoey adopts a total defense posture right as you begin to hear a whirring sound, which is shortly followed by the spinning of the central pillar. The pillar spins slowly at first, but gets faster and faster before finally, the arrows begin flying.
wow
Pseudo-Initiative Order
Combat Slide
>>>Everyone =Stigand 3 lethal 7 NL, Hullric 3 NL, Andy 8 NL, Oloch 5 NL, Rowdy 7 NL
The Pillar of 1000 Arrows -Still spinning
Stigand is unconscious with 3 real damage on him!
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"It behooves a knight of my stature to forbid a lady from putting herself in danger when he himself can suffer the danger himself. Then again, it is also part of my code to admire rather than impede the acts of glory that another knight might perform." he strokes his sideburns thoughtfully.
"And you did call dibs..."
Reggie climbs down off of Rowdy and lays prone, making hand gestures and commanding the wolf to "Lay."
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Rowdy looks around curiously, wondering why everyone is laying down. He tenses and bounces a little, his ears perked up and his tail wagging until his best pal Reggie tells him to lay down, too.
He realizes they are not playing some fun new game and lays down, too. An easy trick he learned even before he was big enough to carry Reggie around.
But he lays WAY down to prove how good he is, head and tail pressed as tight against the floor as his belly.
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"Run!" Reggie declares as the arrows bounce off his armor like hail stones but draw a whimper out of Rowdy as a couple hit home.
He jumps up, jumping onto the wolf's back and urging him forward.
He's not quite quick enough, though and though he gets on the wolf's back, it takes too long for him to get Rowdy moving.
"Is this thing going to shoot and shoot? So better to run through it?!" Oloch cries out his question.
Oloch casts 'shield of faith' on himslef (+2 AC deflection) and starts running.