Valgrim reads the "PUSH" sign as "PULL" (translation error), but Mordenaar shoves the door open anyway.
There can be little doubt what purpose this chamber once served. The dank room stores an ancient rack, a fanciful brazen bull, an iron maiden, a cauldron, iron chairs with sharp edges and cruel protuberances, and a wooden table upon which sit various implements of torture. A bronze plaque affixed to the western wall depicts a crowing rooster above crossed spears. Underneath the spear, a short phrase is inscribed in Common: "Confession Cleanses the Soul — Pain Clarifies the Mind."
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Do I recognize the source? Does the voice have an accent? Male, female, Begus? etc
Mordenaar goes from rambunctious to flat in his affect. With a sigh he says, "Ugh, I'm going to take a load off." He moves to sit on one of the torture devices. Before he goes he looks at the iron maiden and begins mumbling a little tune...[smaller]gunna get you, no matter how far...[/smaller
You recognize the voice the party will soon hear as the one that was in your head.
As Mordenaar acts tired all of a sudden, everyone can see a black bird perched atop the bronze plaque. Achmed is sure he didn't see it before Mordenaar sat down. The raven cocks its head and looks at you, then speaks in a shrill voice.
Greetings, fine citizens of our glorious empire! Skwauk! So good to have visitors, though I fear I have no refreshments to offer. I assume you are here for the treasure! Well, I'll be happy to assist, provided that you give me what I require! It has been so long since I was able to ply my trade. Skwauk! I require only that each of you shed your life's blood in this room — simply take a seat in one of my lovely chairs!
Do I feel compelled to stay seated?
Mordenaar gets up. "Cayden's Cup! I already did, now show me the damned treasure."
Certainly, certainly...just as soon as you give me those slippers!
Oh, but all of you must shed a drop or two! Skwauk! What's a little blood between friends, after all?
"Mordenaar, what do you think? You don't feel extra tired or anything? Any reason to think that the blood you shed is part of some sort of evil curse?"
Also: the scraping/grinding came from this direction, but you haven't yet found the source of it.
No curse, no curse! Skwauk! But it is my price to reveal the treasure!
Valgrim observes the bird and
"I agree that it is not a normal bird. Please friends, do not be compelled to sit in the chairs like Mordenaar has done."
Valgrim says with his bow ready in case events turn for the worse...
Treasure! Treasure! So much treasure! Skwauk! The bird titters and fusses about as it speaks. But sacrifice first, or else you will never leave this chamber alive!
"Friends, I cannot tell if this is a ruse or not."
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Kinn chews on his lip a moment, considering his options. "I sense hesitation in your words," he says slowly. "You hide from the light, fearful that it may reveal the truth."
He lets out a heavy sigh, already tiring of this place and this conversation. "Threats and riddles will not win you tribute... renounce your role here and return home."
No blood? Skwauk! You are no fun! I must find my amusement other ways then!
The bird vanishes before your eyes!
You also spy a faint crack in the wall just to the right of the entry that suggests a secret door.
"I know not where this creature speed off to...disturbing."
"Where is this secret door located?"
Kinn and Mordenaar point the door out and the group navigates the hallway.
Around a third left turn, the floor appears to drop away into a trough of foul-smelling, thick green sludge as the corridor continues off to the east. Upon closer examination, however, there is a thin, nearly invisible metal mesh suspended by similar fine chains. The semicircular ridge along the ceiling seen previously can be found here as well, this time ending in a wall directly above the last of the chains suspending the mesh.
Through another door is another corridor, at the end of which is a locked iron door with a small, barred window. Beyond can be seen a plain, ten-foot-square room with a windowless iron door on the opposite wall.
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Who would build something like this? Why? Kinn ponders along the seemingly endless hallways. At this point, he has grown rather irritable with the whole affair and is extremely suspicious of every new twist and turn.
Unless someone offers a better plan, Kinn again muscles the door open (but does not yet go inside).
Valgrim will assist Kinn in opening the door...
Endar will stand ready to poke something with his pike if there is an enemy on the other side of the door.
Kinn and Valgrim work together to break the door open...
...and the momentum brings them into the room, where they discover that the floor is actually a yellowed sheet of parchment over a 10-foot deep pit!
Both end up prone at the bottom of the pit with some bruises and scrapes.
Valgrim takes the pain and grabs his bow if he dropped it. He then tries to stand and look around...
If he sees nothing that is threatening he will help out Kinn to stand.
The pit appears to be just that, a pit.
Valgrim climbs up out of the pit.
"Well that was fun..." he says sarcastically, contrary to his earlier mannerisms of being reserved.
Endar tries not to smile at the predicament of the two more stoic members of the group, and helps pull them out of the pit.
"I can offer healing magik one more time before I have expended my spark for the day. Then I will need to rest. I think now is a good time to offer healing on Kinn and I will heal later."
Valgrim touches Kinn and recites a quick prayer in elvish...
may the blessings of nature heal you
After climbing out of the pit Valgrim asks the others "Now what?"
Mordenaar hears nothing from the room beyond. He tries to open the door but discovers it is locked.