"Rosk sent ya, didn't he? Nobody else even knew about this place. Never thought the bastard had the balls to do so! Guess I'm going to be having to pay him a visit soon."
While conversing, Ialda looks closely at the door to see if she can tell if it is locked, or if it is trapped. She continues the conversation, "So what if he did. He said you rooked him out of his cut of the pearls. I could care less about all that, though, I need to speak to Vanthus."
"You are speaking to him, what do you want?"
Ialda gives a motion to the others in the hallway that she planned on opening the door. Knowing very well trouble was waiting on the other side of the door, she opens it. "I've got a message for you. From your sister."
Baolo swaps a blue-feathered blunt arrow for the regular arrow and gets ready for Ialda to open the door.
The door opens out and reveals a 10' wide passageway heading east and west, both directions ending in closed doors. Behind the door to the east you hear, much clearer now, "You tell my sister Lavinia that I am fine, you traitorous whore!"
"There's no reason to name call, Vanthus. We are coming to bring you home, whether you like it or not. Your sister wants you alive, but she didn't tell me I couldnt punch you in the face a couple times," the green skinned half elf calls to Vanthus. She moves to the door to the east and quickly scans it. If she doesn't see any traps, she opens the door.
Perception
Baolo continues to trail behind Ialda and Kowaru, letting Ialda take the lead in the negotiations. He is ready for trouble as she opens the door.
Kowaru follows Ialda towards the eastern door, backing her play. "Lavinia is worried about you, brother. She has sent us to find you out of sisterly concern. Whatever has brought you to this place, it is not yet too late to turn your back upon it and mend the fences that have been damaged. Let us help you, brother - and in our helping, you help yourself."
Ialda notices this door is locked, as well as hearing another door creak open inside the locked room. "I see you brought friends. You want me so bad, come and get me!"
Initiative Order:
Round 1:
"Don't make us chase you, Vanthus. We just want to take you to talk to Lavinia, dammit!" Ialda, realizing she had no way to open the door, lunges out with a kick, trying to break open the door.
"Baolo, Chez, Kowaru, help me try this doot again!" Ialda screamed, knowing every second that passed let their prey get further away. Feeling this extra stress, led Ialda to another of her 'episodes," in which she started screeching and pounding at the door with all her might.
Str. check
Baolo puts his shoulder to the door, trying to help Ialda force it open.
Chez will try to see if he can help push the door open:
Baolo and Ialda pound on the door straining the wood, but it is not until Chez gives it a good kick, that the wooden door bursts and splinters open. Inside you see a table with a couple of benches, chair, and stools. A brazier sits on the table providing light. Old chewed up rations lie on the floor but no one can be seen. You see an open door to the east, leading to a corridor, past a closed door to the south. Chez cannot see the end of the corridor due to darkness.
Chez will call forth a magical trick and illuminate his blade. He will then move to the open door and look beyond it.
"Ah sey one Chez. Look out fa traps now." Baolo moves forward, extending the light, but also watching for any traps set by Vanthus.
Baolo spots some stray pearls on the tunnel floor under the table but nothing else. As he finishes his double move, he sees the door to the south and sees the passageway turn north. He doesn't see or hear anything.
"Something tells me there is a back entrance to this little hidey-hole..." Aeronniell muses as she moves forward.
The elf wastes no time, moving swiftly down the hallway after Lavinia's brother, her left hand holding her bow, and her right hand free to grab an arrow should she see the need for violence.
She shouts off into the hallway hoping to cause Vanthus to pause - "Vanthus! Really! Your sister wants to help you - don't make this harder!"
Ialda will follow along with the others . "I say we keep following the passage north. Anyone with me?" she asks as she starts moving in that direction.
"I tink ya right Aero. Dat Shefton prolly lied ta us. I'm wit ya Ialda." Baolo continues moving down the hall to where it turns and looks for Vanthus before proceeding. He knows di tunnels bettah Dan wi do. Ketchin' 'im is goin' to be haad.
As she was breaking into a gallop, Ialda suddenly stopped and said, "Should we send someone outside by the boats, in case he has escaped and is planning on fleeing? Maybe a couple of us out there could slow him down while the rest of us followed him this way."
Baolo shouts back to her, "Dat dread Ialda. Mebbe ya a' Kowaru go dat way an' Chez, Aero, an' Baolo go dis way."
As Baolo reaches the corner, he sees the passageway heads north and turns east. No sign of anyone.
Kowaru nods at Ialda's suggestion. "That seems wise, sister. I will be by your side."
"I don't see 'im here yet. Passage turns agin. I'm goin' ta keep goin' while ya go back." If no one speaks up otherwise, Baolo will keep going to where it turns again.
Aeronniell hesitates, looking about the passageway for any sign that Vanthus may have ducked through a hidden passage. Her elvish eyes drop to example the floor for confirmation of his direction.
Surely, if there were a secret passage, it would take him more than a few seconds to both open and close it, and we were on his heels faster than a shark on chum.
Ialda joins with Kowaru and head back to the boats as quick as she could.
Ialda and Kowaru race back to the entrance, the green-skinned barbarian running past the half-orc with her long strides. She reaches the entry tunnel just in time to see the rope ladder crumple to the ground, its ends cut by a slashing weapon. She looks up and hears Vanthus' voice but does not see him, "Guess that potion of invisibility served me well, huh? Always be prepared, green bi*ch! Say hi to Penkus for me...in hell!" Then maniacal laughter fills the air, as the heavy stone trapdoor slams shut!
Baolo turns the corner to the eastern passageway to find the corridor blocked off by a cave-in.
The barbarian was filled with anger like never before. If only there was a ray she could strike at Vanthus. WIthout even realizing what she was doing, she pointed in the direction of the trapdoor and let out a roar in anger.
Acid Splash damage
Spel1 Failure fifteen percent chance--low is bad
Seeing the small burst of acid fly from her hand and strike the door, Ialda was brought into stunned silence for a moment. "Tell me you saw what just happened, Kowaru."
Hearing that Baolo has come to a dead end, Chez will attempt to open the door in the hallway.
Baolo rounds the corner, "Cha! Dead end! Aero, check dat door!" Baolo retreats as quickly as possible to the door to help Aero and Chez.
The barbarian was filled with anger like never before. If only there was a ray she could strike at Vanthus. WIthout even realizing what she was doing, she pointed in the direction of the trapdoor and let out a roar in anger.
Acid Splash damage 1d3
Spel1 Failure fifteen percent chance--low is bad 1d100
Seeing the small burst of acid fly from her hand and strike the door, Ialda was brought into stunned silence for a moment. "Tell me you saw what just happened, Kowaru."
Without waiting for a response from Kowaru, she shakes the cobwebs from her head over what she had just seen and heads back in the direction of the others. "We have to tell them that we don't have a way out anymore. Hopefully there will be another exit down here somewhere."
Baolo does not detect any traps and it is unlocked and it opens to reveal what was perhaps a storage room, as you scuff marks on the floor from perhaps a barrel or crate. So for now, it is an empty room.
AFter baacktracking, Ialda and the monk find the other members of the group. "The bastard's gone. He had a potion that turned him invisble, and he cut the ladder and slammed the heavy trapdoor shut on us. We have to find a new way out."
After being stopped by the dead end, Aeronniell is even further confused by Vanthus' escape, until she reunites with Ialda and learns about the potion.
"Well that's unfortunate" she replies, cheer still obvious in her voice before she finally sighs.
"We reached a dead end that way, I wonder if we could climb out? If we hurry, we should be able to catch him rowing away from the island, right?"
"Climbing out will be next to impossible. Even if we climb up there, that trapdoor is crazy heavy. It was all I could do to open it with a handhold. Trying to push it up, while hanging onto the side of a wall is..." Ialda let her voice trail off, not wanting to necessarily panic any of the others.
"Well, wi should collect dis meagah reward." says Baolo scooping up the handful of pearls and divvying them up for each. "Might as well try ta climb." He listens to Ialda, "...or not...well, deh is dat other door."
"We can do that, but I still think there has to be more than one way into this place. Sumugglers aren't known for being easy to capture."
Kowaru is as stunned by the globe of acid Ialda throws at the stone door. "I did, sister. You are filled with surprises, it would seem."
He returns with Ialda to the rest of the group. "That is definitely the most likely scenario, Ialda. A beaver often has more than one way out of its dam. Let us see if we can find another way out." He began to head towards the southern door.
"I am curious though, if there is at least 1 other way out, why did he not use it? Potions of invisibility are fairly expensive, so he must have had a good reason for going out that way. We had better be carefull in looking around as I think its safe to assume that if there is a way out, it may be elaborately trapped."
"Err...that is something I didn't think about, Chez. Very good point. We need to be really careful, or some really bad trap could end all of us."
Ialda and Aero and Baolo try the climb out and eventually learn that Ialda's physics were on her side. No way she can lift that heavy trapdoor with no leverage, using one arm, and hanging on the side of a wall.