Ai'sha bends down just before the blood and takes a look at it. It's hard to tell exactly but it can't be more than an hour or so since it hasn't completely dried or coagulated yet. It is likely from some sort of humanoid, seeing as it is a normal red color but you can't pinpoint it more than that.
Aliva gives the hall a once over before moving forward.
Aliva gives the hallway a quick look and then forges forward. When she steps over the blood, her foot hits the floor and she hears a click.
A scything blade descends out of the corridor’s western wall and slashes across Aliva, causing more blood to splatter on the ground, before automatically retracting back into the wall.
"Well we know how that blood got there." Aliva says with a groan. "Can someone see if that resets?"
"I wouldn't put it past that Valriana to hire someone to ambush us here as well." Ai'sha comments, before Aliva gets hit by the scyther.
"Well, there are two pools of blood now, so I think it does indeed reset."
As Aliva asks for someone to check the trap Irakelesh steps up to take a look.
Not sure, he at least knows where the trigger is and goes to work attempting to disable it.
He fiddles with it for a bit, but can't seem to jam the mechanism.
While the rest of the group stays back, Aliva moves forward and opens the next door. This octagonal chamber is empty save for a large metal chest against the eastern wall. A series of hieroglyphs are inscribed on the wall above it. Another set of stone doors are set in the northern wall.
"Just be careful we all can get through", Ai'sha says, jumping over the trigger.
"Big Iron Chest up here." Aliva says, scanning the room for magic.
"Aliva! That's why you're supposed to let me, or G'nock, go first. We can spot those kinds of traps." Irakelesh finally gives up on trying to disable the trap and instructs everyone on how to jump over it. He himself jumps over.
Upon entering the room Irakelesh's gaze is naturally drawn to the ancient hierglyphs. "Ah. Interesting. It seems to say that we should leave our staffs, rods, and rings in that metal box. I don't know what will happen if we don't."
Fitliss shakes his head as his long-legged teammates forge ahead of him once more. Seeing them jumping over the trigger, he eyes it critically. ”Uhhh... Guys?! I can’t jump over this!” the lagging gnome calls. To demonstrate, he attempts to lift and shake his armored lame leg... and promptly falls on his side with a crash and a cry of surprise.
While Fitliss waits on the other side of the trap, you get a better look at the chest. You see that it is open and empty.
Thinking on the meaning of the ancient hieroglyphs Irakelesh realizes that the “Good Magister” likely refers to the Sanctum’s high priest and refers to that person’s control of magic, not his righteousness.
"I have none of the above so I should be ok to go by. None of us wield a staff or Rod. Who has a ring?" Aliva says
"Fitliss can't you just...I don't know, take that armor off? We can't leave you behind like this."
”Taking my armor off in a dungeon seems like a bad idea. And that doesn’t solve the leg, I can’t jump very well even with nothing on. Maybe I can trigger the trap and run through behind it? Ooh! What if we drag something onto the pressure plate?”
Irakelesh slaps a hand over his eyes. "Oh! The visual image! Fitliss, leave your clothes on!" Irakelesh looks over at G'nock. "You've got some skill with traps. Maybe you can disable it."
"what if we just put something heavy on the plate and it will not allow the trap to reset?' Aliva asks those with skill
Befor crossing over G'nock gives the trap a good look.
Like Irakelesh, he can't discern much more than where the actual trigger is. He goes to work attempting to disable it.
Unlike Irakelesh, he manages to jam the pressure plate mechanism allowing anyone to walk over it.
Irakelesh checks the door to ensure no dangers and gives Aliva the go ahead. She opens the door to find a short five-foot-by-ten-foot hallway that leads east into a set of stairs descending into darkness.
"Should we go down already before exploring the upper floor? And...I don't have any ring or staff or rod either...Does a wand count as a rod?"
"Irakelesh or G'Nock do you want to check the stairs, the last time I went first the trap was near the bottom of the steps." Aliva squeezes over to make room.
Irakelesh peers down the stairs. "I kinda agree with Ai'sha. We should check everything up here before delving into the deeper areas." He glances at Ai'sha and rolls his eyes. "I know, I know. You're not right often but I guess I have to admit that you are this time." He smiles and winks at her then turns back to Aliva. "Yeah, I'll check these stairs before we go down. But first..." he points back to an earlier room.
”I’ll be right back!” Fitliss calls, hobbling off to retrieve the bones of the skeletons they fought a minute ago.
"That is fine, I agree it is a sound decision to secure the upper floor first. Lets head back to the main room and go from there." Aliva says heading back.
Deciding to skip the stairs for now you make your way back into the High Priests chamber. Keeping to your preference of taking the first left path Irakelesh goes to check the remaining door leading out of the room.
Not finding any threats Irakelesh gives the ok and Aliva proceeds to open the door. Rows of stone shelves fill this crowded room. Most of the books and scrolls once stored here have disintegrated over time, but a few volumes engraved on more durable materials still endure. Numerous scroll tubes litter the floor of the room amid the dusty remains of ruined paper and papyrus. The room opens up to the main area, near the western end of the raised dais. It looks like there may be several historical documents of interest you could gather and sell to collectors if you took the time to do so.
"What a shame. Letting all of these books and scrolls go to dust like this." Irakelesh seems a little saddened by the loss of knowledge that all of the deterioration represents. However, he is drawn to the historical documents. "These look interesting. We should take them to sell."
Irakelesh looks through some of the documents but doesn't find anything or particular note. However, just from a historical perspective he feels that taking a day to gather and sort through everything it could be sold to a collector for a good chunk of gold.
"Huh, books," Fitliss says once he sees the room, idly browsing through them for a moment and helping to collect a few, before losing interest and poking at a bug with his spear.
"We can come back to get these later on our way out, lets finish looking around up here." Aliva says scanning the room for any magic.
"Yeah, there is some really interesting stuff here. It would take some time to gather it together so we should do it later. Let's go look at the rest of this place." Irakelesh gently places the books, papers, and scrolls back.
Deciding to continue on and leave the papers for later Aliva leads the group back toward the dias. As Aliva, Ai'sha and Fitliss round the corner and head into the room they spot a horrid looking creature peering at them from behind the large statue. Draped in rags and hunched over on goatlike legs, this creature possesses a featureless face, save for a large eye ringed by fangs. As they meet the creatures gaze the suddenly feel confused.
Aliva turns to Fit's, swinging her Morning Star at him. "I am sorry I don't know what I am doing." Her voice devoid of emotion.
"Wait, what are you all doing!? Did Irakelesh pay you to be dumb so he can look smart!?...Wait, he's not that smart...It's you!", she points at the creature.
Ai'sha will move closer and prepare herself to strike.
Ai'sha moves further into the room ready to engage the enemy but the rest of her group seems to be delayed. Instead Aliva, tries to bash Fitliss with her morningstar while he stands there just babbling incoherently. G'nock moves into the room and attempts to grab a hold of Aliva to restrain her and actually manages to grab onto her. Irakelesh just stands by watching the whole thing unravel.
The creature takes a step back from Ai'sha and moves his hand in a strange gesture while reciting an incantation. A ghostly hand manifests and splts away from his own hand as it floats in the air in front of him.
"Guess I'll have to take you out on my own.", Ai'sha smirks, casting Grease under the creature and then closing in.
"Hold on!" Irakelesh tries to shout but he is too slow. The others move into the room and approach the div before he can stop them. "Ok. If that's what you want to do. But be careful. That thing can only be harmed with cold iron or blessed weapons."
Irakelesh moves towards Ai'sha and the creature, pulling his morningstar free.
Ai'sha begins casting a spell at the creature, feeling an odd sensation in the back of her mind as she looks at the hideous thing, she pushes through it and manages to get her spell off. The creature promptly falls to the ground in the new puddle of grease. Irakelesh draws his weapon and moves in to assist Ai'sha, getting a similar strange sensation when looking at the creature, however he manages to push through it as well. G'nock focuses his attention on keeping a hold of Aliva after she randomly started attacking Fitliss.
He manages to keep a hold of her even as she struggles. The creature glares at Ai'sha or at least that is what it appears to be doing. It moves it's hand as if reaching toward Ai'sha and the ghostly hand that was floating near him moves out to touch Ai'sha as he chants some foul incantation.
Ai'sha slashes at the creature as it casts its spell and while she connects the damage is not nearly as significant as she would have thought. Also, it doesn't appear to stop him from casting as the ghostly hand touches Ai'sha and she immediately feels drained.
"Hey! HEY!" Fitliss suddenly stops the mindless babbling he'd been doing for the past few seconds to shout at the creature as it casts the second spell. "Curse spells are really mean! That was a permanent spell! Do you know how hard it is to get those removed! You stop doing that right now!" As he "marches" past Aliva and G'nock's struggle, a shining hand pats the servant of Milani on the head, bathing her in a shining radiance.
Ai'sha keeps on slashing at the thing.
"Sorry Fits again, G'Nock get off me so we can get this creature."
Aliva Struggles but cannot break the Lizard man's grip
Irakelesh moves towards the creature. With both hands he swings his cold iron morningstar down on it but fails to hit.
Aliva attempts to get free from G'nock but can't manage to get out of his grasp. Even so Fitliss protects her from evil as he casts the spell on her, seemingly quick to forgive the random attack. Irakelesh moves up to join Ai'sha in attacking the creature.
However, even with it prone on the ground he can't manage to connect while he try to avoid stepping in the grease himself. Ai'sha acts like she is going to attack but then just stands there and starts babbling incoherently.
G'nock finally decides that Aliva is in her right mind and lets her go. The creature turns it's attention toward Irakelesh, making the same motion with it's hand as before and speaking the same incantation.
While Ai'sha continues to stand their babbling, Irakelesh tries to interrupt the creature as it casts. He connects and damages the creature but it isn't enough to distract it from its spell.
Ai'sha shakes her head and tries striking again.
Fitliss keeps going, finally getting within reach of the creature. Bracing himself, he watches for another action from the thing, hoping to interrupt another spell.
Aliva rushes forward to help.
As Aliva and Fitliss turn their attention toward the creature, they both meet its gaze. As they move forward, they turn toward each other and attack. Aliva strikes first, then Fitliss steps back and stabs her with his spear.
Irakelesh feels the strange pull on his mind while looking at the creature but presses through it to attack.
Ai'sha takes her blade and cuts herself across the thigh in a brief moment of panic as she looks at the creature.
G'nock stays where he is and turns his attention toward the creature. However, when he looks at the creature he just begins to babble incoherently.
The creature decides to stand up provoking attacks from Ai'sha and Irakelesh.
It then attempts to move out of the greased area.
It slips a bit in the grease when trying to move out, but manages to keep its balance and remain standing.