Toramin's shadow gets cast on the chip, then suddenly he can feel it. It's an interesting and awkward feeling, but he manages to get his shadow to move the stone. Once it exits the motes, his shadow no longer holds it and it falls to the ground.
Amazed by the dwarf's brilliance, the bull hoots and hollers.
With the stone chip in hand, you make your way back through the chorus of the damned, the cries of the desperate asking you why even paladins won't save them.
Back in the octagonal room, the final stone tablet is inserted into the floor and the marvel of the room happens once more, now a door leading out the north. The tunnel turns to the east, and you see there's a drop off point about 50 feet wide that currently has a rush of water nearly as impressive as the first one you saw. There's a ladder on the far and close walls so you can climb in and out, an indication that the river of water must sometimes be dry. To the north are two hallways, the first ending in a locked wooden door and the second in an open, swinging wooden door.
Toramin will try their numerous keys on the locked door.
None of the keys seem to work.
Bjorkus gestures for the party to follow and heads the other direction.
Bjorkus changes his mind and looks the young noble's way.
"Think you can get that open for us?" he rumbles with a nod at the visible lock.
"Does anybody know how to pick a lock?"
”I believe I can,” Psotheos says, removing his tools acquired from Simon. He stands and then kneels near the door, inspecting for traps. ”Bradodroga insisted I learn locks as part of my architecture studies; to help me think mechanically and in spatial dimensions.” He takes out the lockpicks and attempts to open the lock.
Toramin pats the young noble on his shoulder. "There is no shame in wanting to understand the inner working of things."
"Nor in taking what you "shouldn't". It seems to be how things work in this kingdom." The old man was crabby. Smelly sewers, dislocated shoulders ... and now the little lord just happening to know his way around the more shadowy skillsets. I bet that's how his kind made a name for themselves in the first place...
Arjax picks the lock without any difficulty, and the door swings open to see some sort of control room. Two goblins run around the room, pressing random buttons and laughing with glee.
Bjorkus attempts to jam Dalton's arm back into place.
"Stop fussin!"
I cannot imagine that any control in this place is for the good of those controlled.
The dwarf was still unwilling to permanently harm those who he did not know were harming others.
One of the goblins turns in time to get knocked out. The other one shrieks, beings panicking and running around the room.
"Gentlemen, let us secure this room."
"Capture it, not kill it." he says the the Dwarf.
If only he was chasing them with a pillow
"Mmrph!" Dalton manages to hold in his cry as the beefy brawler attempts to "help" him. Backing away from him, he regrets letting the oversized creature try in the first place.
Unfortunately, that put him next to the Drow, who also saw fit to fiddle with him.
Psotheos half-smiles and momentarily raises his eyebrows in amusement at Dalton’s comments. He wants to say, Such words only display your ignorance, but he remains silent.
When the goblin begins to run around the room shrieking, he whips out his rapier and enters a defensive stance. ”Stay where you are goblin -- we will not kill you!” he commands.
He seethes and spits. "Gilbor no trust you! You hurt Gilbor anyways!"
"Your friend isn't dead. Would you rather be tied up? Or knocked out?"
"Why do either? Gilbor do nothing to you!"
"Because you are in a compound that created a virus that will destroy this nation. You do not appear to be a prisoner, so we can only assume that you are collaborating with these terrible men. Time is of the essence. Do you surrender?"
He starts mouthing words, as if trying to piece your sentence together. "No, Gilbor not help city people! Just live in tunnels!"
"Then tell us what you know of this room and how to reach the inner gate house, and you and your friend can go free after we leave."
He lowers his brows suspiciously. "Gilbor know nothing of house of gates, just live in sewers!"
"How'd you get up here then?" Bjorkus rumbles.
"You sure as he'll didn't come the way we did."
He grins mischievously. "Gilbor snuck in through castle above. They deliver food here, Gilbor hide in crate."
"Oh? When does that happen?" the bull asks.
Toramin will let Bjorkus take over interrogating the maybe hapless goblin. He will begin examining the control panels. What is the room?
He shrugs, getting slightly less at edge. "Not sure, morning often though."
Toramin begins to search the room for schematics or instructions, anything that would tell him what the other option is for where the water would flow. There are always instructions somewhere in these rooms. Not every person who mans these sorts of things is a skilled engineer.
Lindale chases down the goblin and tries to grapple it.
Lindale quickly jumps on and grabs the little goblin. "Hey, let Gilbor go!" He turns around and attempts to bite you.
Lindale eventually gets the little green bugger pinned under him. He squirms and swears in goblin, getting his teeth into Lindale whenever he can.
"You will show us where you got in here from. Is there a way to the city?"
"Is dark elf deaf? Gilbor got in inside box, Gilbor didn't see where they walk! Got out of box in next room, kitchen!"
Toramin shift the controls so that the river they passed will flow elsewhere.
"Let's get these Goblins out of here and lock the door behind us. I can use these controls to let us bypass the river. But first we should check out what is behind that other door."
Picking up the "resting" Goblin, the paladin exits the room, and goes to open the other door.