"Well, it appears we have a decision to make. Which way should we go? Left? Or right?" Rajah looks both directions trying to decide which might be best.
Bastarger visibly and very audibly groaned, jittery and anxious to keep moving.
Are we seriously going to debate which of the two identical corridors to walk down?
To the left, you see two doors opposite each other in the northern and southern walls. To the right, you see a single door.
Bastarger focused his eyes to the dim torchlight and told the humans of the group about the doors he could see.
In my experiences clearing buildings, I was always taught to take left turns. Eventually you will have cleared all rooms.
Sounds good Bastarger replied happily, once more fiddling with his equipment as he readied a net.
Stirgen shrugs and sees no reason to countermand the logic.
In the absence of signs that any one door might have seen more recent use than the others, Lilley is willing to follow the party through whichever one they choose.
Rhen leads the way left, checking the hall and door for traps.
You don't detect any traps and neither door is locked. They do, however, appear strikingly identical - almost as if they are mirror images of one another.
As Rhen fiddles with the lock, Rajah takes a deep breath, stretches his arms, and remembers what it was he was going to do. "Excuse me, milady," he says to Lilley, "but may I inquire of your name? I believe you are the only one I've yet to properly meet. I'm 'The Blue Rajah'; just call me Rajah. A pleasure." He smiles as he gives a slight bow.
"Lilley," she answers hesitantly, and quietly, not wanting to distract the dwarf from his task. "Lilley Thornhollow." She seems a bit nonplussed by his being the second of the group to bow to her. A rajah is a sort of a nobleman from foreign lands, isn't it? she wonders. But why blue?
Stirgen finds the similarity of the doors interesting, but sees no reason to fault the logic of the one with the speaking bird.
Continuing the trend of turning left, the group moves into the southern room.
The smooth floor and ceiling of this circular room have been polished to a glossy shine, and the curving walls appear to be made of a faintly silver reflective material as smooth and flawless as glass.
Bastarger was awed by the shiny material.
What is it?
Stirgen is similarly in awe "I have no idea good gnome... but it is pretty is it not?" taking a peer around the chamber from the entrance to see if there was anything to it beyond the mirrored roof and floor...
Perception:
As Stirgen moves closer to inspect the walls, he notices the hair on his body begins to stand on end when he gets within 1 foot. Getting even closer to the wall - within 1" - he begins to feel a tingling sensation in his arms and legs. If, by chance, he (or anyone else) reaches out to touch the wall, you feel a deep, thrumming vibration beneath the cold, glassy surface.
Lilley shrinks back into the doorway away from the reflective walls. "Whatever it is, it is not the lair of a graverobber," she says gruffly. "We should go to the next door."
Lilley moves to the doorway, and as she does so, the deep vibration in the walls rises in a crescendo until an audible hum fills the entire room. At the same time, the curving walls seem to move, rotating faster and faster around the circumference of the room. A few seconds later, the hum dies down and the walls stop spinning. There appears to be no apparent aftereffect.
The second you step towards the door, the deep vibration in the walls rises in a crescendo until an audible hum fills the air and the room begins to spend before you. It moves at such speed, you can no longer see the rest of the group. To avoid getting sucked in, you are pushed out into the hallway and the door closes behind you. You can no longer see the spinning room, but you can hear the hum. Several seconds later, the hum stops. You hear the voices of your companions not in the room to the south - but to the north.
Miss Lilley? I agree with her gentleman, we should leave. It is not wise to remain
What do we know about this, Chatterbeak, I'm sure I have read something.
Despite your extensive knowledge of things magical, you've never encountered - either in person or in books - anything like this. You don't really even know what just happened - the room spun and it stopped.
Only a couple seconds after the room stopped spinning, the door is jerked open and you see Lilley, a terrified look on her face. She utters something in orcish and her eyes go wide.
Something is different about your friends. It's hard to place, but it appears that they are now perfect mirror images of themselves. Their weapons, which were perhaps once on their right side are now on their left. Any noticeable tattoos or scars have switched sides as well. Something incredibly strange occurred in the span of only a few seconds.
"Almal van julle verander!" she says, her eyes quickly scanning the rest of the party. She brings her glaive forward, placing the weapon between herself and the others defensively. "Wat is aan jou gedoen?" Keeping her wary gaze on the party, she takes a few cautious backward steps until she can reach the opposite door, and she flings it open wide to see if anything is there.
Wheeeeeee! Bastarger exclaimed in delight as the room span. He raised his shield up defensively as Lilley raised her glaive, seeking to protect the other, lightly armoured members of the group.
I say Lilley, what on earth has gotten into you? Whats she saying, Stirgen? he asked, anxiously clutching his net and on the verge of throwing it over the armed half-orc.
Though frightened by Lilley's orcish outburts, you DO feel different. As you ponder what it is that's different about you, you notice your heartbeat - your heart has moved. As you reach for it, you reach with the hand opposite you normally would.
You have become a mirror of yourself.
Opening the door behind her, Lilley finds that it is completely empty.
She spoke orcish my allies. Check yourselves, we have become a mirror image. My heart was on the left, now it is on the right. My spellbook was bound to my left hip, now it is on the right. What this means though I am unsure. It IS us Lilley, we mean no harm.
The riddle! Bastarger exclaimed.
Lilley doesn't appear to register Kenji's words, keeping her glaive at the ready and wide eyes on the others. "Wie is julle? Watter vreemde taal praat julle?" she demands, threatening with her weapon. "Verduidelik julle!!"
"Dit is dwaasheid!" Lilley spits back, but she lowers her glaive and relaxes her stance a bit. "Wat die spieël kamer aan jou gedoen het, wanorde jou brein. Dit is julle wat 'n ander taal praat! Ek het nooit geleer ork." Despite her defiant words, her eyes wander to Stirgen as if seeking confirmation of what she is saying.
Rhen checks himself, to see if he is left-handed now. "Cool, is it permanent?"
Perhaps elements within this place have also changed, and it is not just us who have been been reversed in some manner. Perhaps even, if we had used a chime on the west door in the initial chamber, once we pass through this transformation the east door instead would be opened Bastarger reasoned, a little more relaxed now Lilley lowered her glaive.
"Lilley," she answers hesitantly, and quietly, not wanting to distract the dwarf from his task. "Lilley Thornhollow."
"Lilley Thornhollow?" He whispers as a look of intrigue and fascination crosses his face, "Fantastic! You..." he starts but stops as the others head into the next part of the dungeon. Wanting to keep up, "Hold that thought. No, no, wait a minute, I'll hold my thought. Let's go, I don't want to fall to far behind the others. I have a tendency to do that you know."
The smooth floor and ceiling of this circular room have been polished to a glossy shine, and the curving walls appear to be made of a faintly silver reflective material as smooth and flawless as glass.
"This place truly is fantastic. I do not know what it is either, my enthusiastic friend. It is a shame a place such as this has been left to hide. Far too magnificent for such a fate." He says with a bit of sorrow in his voice.
As the room slows from the odd occurence, "That was odd. Do any of you know what just happened? Well, maybe I should ask why it happened?"
Not a moment later he sees Lilley in a motion to strike at the group. He watches to see what happens and waits for a response to Bastarger's question.
She spoke orcish my allies. Check yourselves, we have become a mirror image. My heart was on the left, now it is on the right. My spellbook was bound to my left hip, now it is on the right. What this means though I am unsure. It IS us Lilley, we mean no harm.
"I am just going to have to learn to speak orc. What a fantastic language! A mirror image you say?" Rajah looks about him and puts his hand on his heart--on the other side of his chest. "Fantastic! And as the good Bastarger mentioned ... the riddle. Now, if we can only make some sense of it." He places a finger to his lips as he loses himself in thought on pondering the riddle again while Bastarger theorizes.
"Dit is dwaasheid!" Lilley spits back, but she lowers her glaive and relaxes her stance a bit. "Wat die spieël kamer aan jou gedoen het, wanorde jou brein. Dit is julle wat 'n ander taal praat! Ek het nooit geleer ork." Despite her defiant words, her eyes wander to Stirgen as if seeking confirmation of what she is saying.
** spoiler omitted **
Kenji kept a calming hand up to Lilley and spoke to the others.
There is merit to Bastargers words. Let's leave this room, though I fear it is only us that have changed.
"Very well." Just before Rajah steps out he takes another look around the room. "Fantastic." He whispers to himself as he takes his leave.
Rajah then looks a bit confused at Lilley. "You say she is speaking orc, yet, she speaks common quite well. It doesn't make sense as to why she won't speak common. Is she angry with us? Or maybe that is part of her being backwards." He shrugs. "Which really doesn't make a lot of sense seeing how she is half-orc and can speak orc normally. I fear I am at a loss." He says, quite perplexed.
She insists she is speaking normally, I mote she only swaps to it when under duress.
Rajah looks at Kenji curiously. "Fascinating. So if she speaks orc only during times of duress, then maybe that is her 'backwards'. What I mean to say is, as of now she is under no duress, correct? So... she speaks orc. And the next time she finds herself under duress, she should speak common, correct? Seeing how she is NOT speaking common at this point." He crosses his arms and places a hand on his chin as he glances over at Lilley for a moment before turning back to Kenji. "Well, at least that is my theory. And this, of course, is barring the fact that she has just chosen not to speak common. If that's the case then my theory is completely misguided." He looks over at Lilley once again, wondering. "Hm. I guess only time will tell."
Kenji merely shakes his head. He had done far more speaking today than he was comfortable with, as was usually the case when the subject was beyond Chatterbeak's limited facilities. At least the bird knew to be quiet when he needed to.
Finding the apparent transformation disconcerting, but ultimately fascinating, Stirgen feels some vertigo as he comes to terms with the bodily disorientation... before he hears Lilley's voice once more delve to the guttural and harsh tongue of his orcish forebear.
Stirgen steps in front of the agitated Lilley jutting out his jaw and appealing to her orcish side as he barks aggressively "Kalmeer jouself en luister!" though once he has her attention, softening his stance and voice to a whisper as he talks to her alone "Ek is nog hy wat wandel in die skaduwee van die skoonheid en die omhelsing van liefde.My gedagtes is myne, ten spyte van wat jou oë sien ... glo my Lilley." somehow managing to make even Orcish sound gentle and extending his left (though in his mind his right) arm to touch her shoulder and prove himself material and real in her eyes.
"I am still he who walks in the shadow of beauty and embrace of love. My thoughts are mine, despite what your eyes see... trust me Lilley."
"Hopefully, it wears off. Let's keep moving, since it does not seem to adversely affect us."
Between Kenji's logic and Stirgen's appeal, Lilley finally lets the blade of her glaive drop down to the stone floor. Her eyes are still confused, but she wraps her hand tightly around the ring hanging around her neck and bows her head for a few moments, making an effort to calm herself. "That is the door we all went in together," she says, pointing to the empty room behind her. "Then it began to spin and threw me out, and I heard your voices coming from this room," she points to the identical room they just exited, "speaking a strange tongue I could not understand. Perhaps if you went back in and shut the door, it would undo what has been done to you and put you back where you started?" She looks hesitantly around at the others, unsure which of them can understand her.
Bastarger shook his head, disagreeing with some of what Lilley said although clearly happier now she was speaking Taldane.
I don't think the language issue has anything to do with these rooms. I distinctly recall Lilley speaking in your Orc tongue as early as when we faced that thing in the darkness by the stairs. I agree with our Dusk Warden. There is no harm in continuing for now; and if there is any clear contrast in this place itself as a result of our change, Lilley should be able to see the contrast.
Arrk. See. See. Miss Lilley speaks like Chatterbeak again. Master is correct. Master is far smarter than all of you. Listen to Master, you should. If master says everyone is different, theyare. Ooooh, Master how different? Does this mean dwarf is NOT going to get drunk later? That's sad. Dwarves are lots of fun when drunk. Chatterbeak wants to get drunk with dwarf!!!
Pleased to see Lilley calming, but also moving away and becoming quiet as she returns to the tongue of humans Stirgen smiles and adds with a tinge of melancholy "Goeie"
Standing thoughtful and scratching his head with his left hand Stirgen cautions "We have no idea what might happen if we were to step within the rooms again... perhaps during our hunt for the corpse-thief we will find more words that might shed light? For me I would not seek to act too hastily... again" chuckling as he smiles "we are unhurt it would seem, so there is no haste."
"Yes, I agree, let us continue on. And it is good to hear you speaking common again, Madam Lilley. That would mean that you are no longer disturbed with us. Which is a good thing!" He smiles.