Meanwhile, Rexandi applies another healing spell for Tarnagius. Since the group has a little time, she holds her hands in a taut formation that looks like she is holding a pair of fine, invisible threads, and pulling them taut.
Rexi seems to shake off some malaise after casting the spell, though she leans her hand against a table for a few moments.
Ederion spots plenty of cloths to cover the bowl with. At various intervals in the pantry are little three-legged machines made out of gears and metal plates. After about a minute of softly ticking, they essentially 'exhale' a cold breeze.
Rexandi gets a huge surge of energy flowing through Tarnagius to heal him.
Bazzle's eyes go wide. He turns and moves over to the living young dwarf and puts out a hand turning his attention away from the cold storage. "We are going to do everything we can to find out about your brother. We are glad you are safe. I don't want to trouble you with questions but did you see any other victims of these evil creatures?"
Aster gets the hint as well and aids in moving Morgran away from the room. Out of the dining room all together if possible.
This contraption is a machine called a 'clockwork'. They come in many shapes, sizes, and purposes, but the genius is that they can perform magic-like abilities without actually using magic. Creating clockwork is a gruellingly difficult task that takes years of research both in engineering and in the arcane, but Vespam Artisans here in Kintargo runs a shop that is capable of producing such intricate complexities. This contraption here is designed to produce cooling effects, though not to such a degree that it would be viable in a fight. It must be wound up manually. These contraptions would likely be highly prized by the nobility and very wealthy merchants.
Aster and Bazzle move Morgran out of the kitchen all together. He's going pretty quiet now, though he answers Bazzle's question with a half-hearted "No I didn't."
Whether going through the back door of the pantry, or going around the pit trap to the next set of double doors, you enter a grand dining hall that has been cleaned as far up as the skeletons could reach. A single long table rests between two rows of stone pillars, intricately carved in the images of beautiful women. Though some of the chairs have been knocked aside, the rest of the place is in good condition. Set on the table are sugared almonds and a container of mead. At the far end of the room is a stage and a room just beyond it. It is a storage room full of instruments, banners, and other odds and ends.
If the entire complex is based on sins, I hope they start getting cleaner. Though I'm not confident about Sloth...
Tarnagius decides that comforting crying dwarf children is not within his skillset, and sets to searching for secrets.
Ederion joins Tarnagius in the search, both of them in silence.
Aster will explain that they were sent by his mother, and try and get him talking about her. To distract him from the horrors of the room. Then try and lead him back to how they were kidnapped.
While Tarnagius and Ederion search the place top to bottom, Aster takes on the motherly role once again. She manages to coax Morgran out of his withdrawl, and gets him to talk to her about his life. He talks about how he and his mom sometimes have family problems. He wants to go out with his friends, but his mom always wants him to work and do chores. One time he shaved his beard and his mom beat his ass. He loves her, but she's just doesn't understand.
His brother Darrak is really into bruiseball, so the two of them played until it got dark. They took a shortcut through the district to get home on time, but a giant spider crawled out of a fireplace and webbed them. Then the giant rotting man took them from the spider lair and locked them in the crawl space.
Between the two of them, Ederion and Tarnagius comb every inch of the floor for clues, treasure, and anything else they can find. Only two things really surface, but both are very important. There are plenty of things hidden under the mess, two of which are particular interest. A magic belt that smells a bit like urine, and a small box of magic tea, of which there are three bags.
The tea is called Seer's Tea. It allows the imbiber to gain the benefits of an augury spell to a question of their choice. If the imbiber instead uses the tea as part of casting the augury spell, they instead cast divination.
This belt is called a Plague Rat's belt, and is a magic item capable of giving the wearer a +2 bonus to their constitution score (only functions after wearing it for 24 hours). Three times per day, the belt can be called on (as an immediate action) to reroll a saving throw against a disease or poison. The wearer must use the 2nd result, even if it is worse.
Furthermore, if the wearer resists a disease or poison (even without the belt's help), the belt will absorb the disease or poison. The wearer can then at any time run their blade or arrow against the belt (as a move action) to infect the weapon with the disease or poison. Upon doing so, the belt loses that disease or poison. It must be used on a weapon or ammunition capable of dealing either piercing or slashing damage. Diseases and Poisons that are not usually transmitted through injury are changed to function by injury.
The last goodie that the two find is down at the bottom of the spiked pit. Barely perceptible lines around one of the walls shows that there is actually a secret door. The only noticeable feature on it is at the very bottom, a small circle the size of a gold piece.
Ederion examines the tea and belt for a few moments - []"I've heard of this"[/B] - he nods at the tea bags - "But this I do not know what properties it possesses" - he hands both items to Rexandi.
He stares hard at the small circle at the bottom of the spiked pit - "I wonder..."
Ederion identifies the Seer's tea.
"The spider got me as well." Aster admits, then leans over the pit and suggests "Maybe we should try a gold piece?"
Rexandi takes a moment to check on the belt.
She shrugs elegantly, then pulls her drape back onto her shoulder. "Dunno."
~~~~~~~~~~
Rexandi says, "Sure, why not? If we keep running into the seven sins, Greed had to come up sooner or later."
"True" - Ederion nods, then inserts a gold coin into the indentation - "Here goes nothing"
Ederion slips a gold piece into the slot, which then glows for just a second before slipping down a newly created hole. The sound of gears crank and groan as the door starts to slowly shift to the side, but Ederion notices something important. Behind the crack in the door is not stone, but a bright yellow colour. He steps back out of caution just in time for the yellow stuff to explode, sending spores all over the place. Ederion's caution saves him at the last moment.
It takes a moment for the door to open all the way, but the spores linger in the air in such a thick density that it's impossible to see through. However, a terrible, deep hissing noise emanates from the doorway. Before anyone can react, the skull of a snake which is roughly the size of Bazzle slips through the door. Its hollow eye sockets look Ederion dead on, and it lunges with a powerful bite! Ederion didn't have his guard up yet, and thus is bitten on his leg!
He spots around the wound a glob of green liquid, and already he can feel his body reacting to the venom.
Tarnagius immediately begins attempting to extract Ederion from the pit.
unfortunately, pulling a rope one-handed proves difficult.
Ederion knows that it is the skeletal reanimation of a very large snake, known as an Emperor Snake. They originated in the Mwangi Expanse before being imported to the Northern continent, where they got free and populated the region. They are not constrictors, but they have a very nasty poison.
Bazzle moves up and tries to help Ed with the evil snake thing.
[spoiler=Room]Bazzle grabs the rope and uses that and acrobatics to descend the rope safely.
Aster frets over one of her greatest weaknesses in a fight... range, so instead shuffles over to the rope to grab and pull along with the others.
Bazzle grabs the rope and tries to rapidly descend using his practiced work as an acrobat, however he has to stop part way down since he's suffering from THE WORST rope burn he's ever experienced. After resetting himself, he descends much faster the second time, and without quite as much rope burn.
Aster and Tarnagius start trying to lift up Ederion (and Bazzle as well), but the combined weight and the fact that Tarnagius can't use his hand prove the effort wasted.
"Ah! There's not enough room down there!" worries Rexi. Then she launches her hex of misfortune at the serpent-skeleton, to at least slow it down a bit.
Ederion tries hard to fight the poison, but his inspiration just isn't quite enough. Rexandi helps out by casting her hex upon the skeletal serpent.
Hedran grunts in pain at the attack, then draws his mace and attacks - "Hit it with blunt attacks or magic fast and hard - it is undead, but shouldn't be able to take much punishment"
Ederion cautiously steps forward and attacks with the mace, but the head of the serpent simply withdraws to evade the attack. It then snaps forward but instead of attacking Ederion, it accidentally smacks its head just above the door. That being said, the poison within Ederion continues to spread, and now impairs him.
That misfortune might have saved your life
Bazzle attempts to strike the beastie.
That misfortune might have saved your life
The pain spreading through his muscles and his vision blurred, still Ederion tries to strike again.
Bazzle and Ederion both try to fight off the serpent, but nothing connects. Even Bazzle's really accurate dagger strike does nothing against the bones of the serpent. It glares at Ederion with its hollow eyes, preparing to strike.
"Aw, hells. "
Tarnagius leaps onto the serpent's back and begins bludgeoning it.
"Catch!" Aster pulls out her heavy mace and throws it down for one of the other two to use. Then she'll brace herself to hold the rope alone, hoping Ed can take Tarn leap as a way to escape.
Lady Luck seems to have pulled out all the stops. Tarnagius valiantly leaps off the edge to fall twenty feet towards the snake. He thankfully avoids the spikes of the pit, and lands square onto the head of the snake, bashing it with his mace in the process. Unfortunately he can't quite get a hold on the skeleton to remain on top of it, but the snake has now found a new target laying prone in its reach.
Aster throws down her magical heavy mace, but she's unable to hold the rope well enough to start pulling anyone up. Kethaera takes hold of the rope and starts heaving as well, which is enough to start bringing people up.
Non-Lethal
Halved for <30ft.=5
Rexandi fidgets as she's not sure how to help, then she settles for launching a web bolt at the snake skeleton in an attempt to pin it to the floor.
Unfortunately the web bolt is dodged with just having the snake withdraw its head under the doorway. It uses the coiled position to strike at Tarnagius, who is prone and gets bit. When the snake retreats from Tarn, its fangs no longer squirt the green venom like before, though it is of course stained in blood.
Ederion's body is desperate to override the venom coursing through his system, but his elven heritage gets the better of him. His muscles twitch and squirm before seizing up in a terrible charlie-horse.
Bazzle makes a dive for Aster's mace lifting it in 2 hands. He turns back to the snake.
Bazzle ditches his ineffective knives to pick up Aster's magical mace. The snake tries to lunge at him when he lowers his guard, but Bazzle sneaks to the side where the cover will protect him. The snake smashes into the wall, giving Bazzle the opportunity to bash the mace into the creature's skull. Unfortunately, Bazzle is totally out of his element with the 8lbs bludgeon, so while it does make a nice crack in the skull, it's just not enough to debilitate the skeleton.
Looking over the edge of the pit, she yells out at Bazzle's hit, and then cries out at Ed collapsing. Aster quickly looks around for something to tie the rope on to, so she can get down there.