Korak also searches the door, noticing that Jorriko seems distracted by the creepy Jester on top of the Crypt.
He notices nothing wrong with the lock (though he does get a weird vibe from it, something he can't quite perceive), and something else strange, the Jester, for a split second, looked like it had opened its eyes.
However, it happened so quickly that Korak is unsure if it was genuine, or just a trick of the light.
A dark, well defendable safe house with only one known intrence, and only one known key for that intrence... Krail waves the key at Korak. you my friend, are a genius!
"Of course I am! Did you have any doubt? I'm also strong, handsome, charming and incredibly humble!" replies the Barbarian with only a half-jokingly tone in his voice. "But let's leave stating the obvious for later and worry about..." he pauses for a second. "Did... Did that clown just blink at me?"
Korak moves a bit closer to reinspect the crypt, and especially the statue on top of it.
He sees nothing, but when he turns away he can swear he hears someone blowing a raspberry in his direction.
Krail waits for Jo to catch up to them at the crypt.
What? what is wrong Korak? Something wron with the jester? - Jo cast acid spalsh on the statue ( a couple of times) to see what happens.
If you two are done playing peek-a-boo with that statute, we have a job to do...
With that, Krail turns the key and pulls out his great club.
Jo shoots some Acid at the statue, hoping to get a reaction.
She does.
The statue hops up and starts making noises.
"Ooh, ah, HEY!" it turns directly to Jo, eyes wide open and glowing red.
"What do you think you're doing, casting magic like that willy nilly? Somebody could've gotten hurt!"
He calms down a bit, but still grumbles to himself.
"And now you've thrown off my rhythm, let's see, where was I?" Suggesting my presence, check. Messing with the guy coming close to the door, check. Welcoming the...OH! Not check.
"Ah, I remember! Welcome, Key Bearers, to the House of the Dancing Jester! Please, come in, come in! We haven't had visitors in AGES! Anything your heart desires can be found behind this door...all for a price, of course." he gives you a stony grin.
"So, what are you waiting for?"
Cicero?
Well, this certainly is unexpected. What prices are we talking about?
"Well that depends on the prize, of course! It could be anything, really. Money, items, your soul, animal sacrifices, services rendered, that sort of thing! No big deal, really." and he grins again.
Korak growls with a mean look in his face
"Look... A living statue. Do you know what that means? It means I can kill it!"
Do not be so rude Korak, this statue is adorable and it is not threatening us, it could prove to be of invaluable help, right mst statue?
We seek the orb of Khalet.
The statue does a little flip into a handstand, and looks directly into Korak's face.
"Ooh, scary, Shirtless One, very scary! Impressive!" while he doesn't seem intimidated, he does seem very amused by your attempt. "I like you!"
"And YOU, young miss, you're very beautiful, but, hmm, you seem to be lacking something!" he produces a jaunty jester's cap, complete with bells, from somewhere with a flourish of his fingers, and sticks it onto Jo's head, shoving the large cap down over her eyes.
"MUCH better, yes. I have to say, you're simply STUNNING my lady. I like you too!"
"So, I'll tell you what, I'll give you all a clue!"
"Ask me anything, Key Bearers!"
Upon hearing Jorriko's question, a cloud drifts across his stony face.
"Oh, poo, you're no fun. Come on, something INTERESTING! Every time I've gotten a visitor through these centuries it's been 'Orb' this, 'Khalet' that, 'Please let me in oh god what are you doing with my legs please stop!', over there, quite tedious really."
"Are you SURE you don't want to ask me something else? Though I DID say 'ask me anything', I suppose."
He gives a long suffering sigh.
"Fine, I'll tell you."
He sits on the ground cross legged and puts a mock-serious expression on his face.
"The Orb of Khalet is an ancient artifact, VERY dear to my master and creator. So dear, in fact, that he INSISTED it be buried with him when he died so that nobody else could use it. It made him undefeatable, in fact, he felt it was far too powerful to let fall into anyone else' hands."
"Oh, fair warning, my master had a very good sense of humor, so if you go into the crypt I'd be very careful his little pranks didn't do something amusing like behead or disembowel you, I hear that's quite uncomfortable for people like you, and it'd be a shame if we never got to talk again, you know."
He smiles again, and dances to his feet, then nimbly hops back up onto the top of the crypt, where he assumes his original position, lain on his side with his hand up to his head.
"Good luck, Key Bearers! Talk to me again some time if you make it out! I DO love company, you know!" and with that, he returns to his rest, closing his eyes and becoming perfectly still again."
At long last... Into the crypt.
Jorriko steps forward, inserts the key into the lock, and turns it. The lock falls away from the door, clattering to the ground in two pieces, and the crypt door swings open with an ominous creak.
Inside, it remains dark and gloomy for a moment, before the landscape shifts and changes into something unexpected.
Torches line the walls, throwing up lights in a rainbow of colors against the purple/pink striped and red polka dotted walls. The stairs lead downwards, out of sight, where cheerful party music can faintly be heard in the distance.
I take it back... This would make a horrible hideout...
"Well... I suppose we can always redecorate..." says Korak as he steps into the crypt.
"It is very... uh... unique.
Almost as soon as he says the word "redecorate", a ball of green light shoots from the walls.
It hits Korak in the chest and begins to change him into something hideous.
Korak's body shifts and morphs into a disgusting creature.
His nose grows bulbous and red, his feet enlarging to inhuman proportions, hands the same. His hair grows at an alarming rate, and his skin turns pale white except for markings around his lips and eyes.
Worst of all, his clothing changes, turning his pants into hideous neon lime green/red striped abominations, and shirt growing from his chest in a horrible yellow and red polka dotted fashion.
These elements affix themselves to Korak, and won't come off no matter how hard he tugs on them or tries to wriggle out.
Every time he shifts his newly enlarged feet they make a distracting honking noise, and when he breathes out his nose does the same.
"Of course your realize, this means war." he says with an unusually calm voice.
Korak marches forward, looking for possible adversaries.
Krail looks for the source of the attack.
Jo alsmot speak but seing what happen to korak she stay silent. Better to wait if her partnerts detect the trap.
Jorriko traces the bolt back to where it came from. It appears to have issued from one of the polka dots on the wall about 20 feet away.
As well, the crypt once again reacts to Korak's speech. Seemingly stepping through solid stone, two things dressed head to toe on jester's clothing step out on either side of the walls, brandishing weapons at the group (what appear to be a long pieces of rubber).
Jorriko swings his greatclub at the clown-y enemies, but misses and just ends up smacking the floor instead. A muffled grunt issues from the ground, but otherwise his attack is ineffective.
The jester on the left swings his weapon at Korak with a yell.
"War, eh?"
Though misses and hits the wall, which unleashes an extremely loud "HONK!" sound into the room.
The one on the right pulls a banana peel from his pocket and throws it at Korak's feet.
"We'll show you war!"
Korak slips a bit on the banana peel, but manages to find his balance before he topples over.
"Look at that! This place can be fun, after all!"
I 5 ft to the right and then cast shield on Jorikko .
Korak 's first hit goes wild, his normally flawless skills brought down by the unwieldy costume, but the second one smashing into the jester with a cacophonous HONKA HONKA, making it double over in pain.
Jo simply moves to the side in the hopes of avoiding the creatures and gives Jorriko a small magical shield to help him.
Jorriko winds up another smash at the jester nearest him, but misses again, eliciting another a mocking laugh from the jester.
"Missed me, missed me!" it cries.
The jesters retaliate again, with new tactics.
The one near Korak dances back a step and pulls a torch from its baggy pants, breathing hard into it and unleashing a torrent of fire.
The jester nearest Jorriko pretends to be set on fire, dancing around mockingly for a second before whipping out a giant rubber hammer and swinging it at his head.
The jester misses narrowly with his overhand swing, and the floor once again cries "OOF!" at the missed blow.
Korak is unimpressed. The jester's fire barely singes his hair. The Barbarian steps close to his fire-breathing opponent and throws heavy punches aimed at the jester's nose.
"Oh, now you're the fire-eater, huh? How about having a knuckle-sandwich too? Honka-honka, m@**#@+#$&@+!"
Korak unleashes a crushing blow at the jester, who suddenly stands stock still and stares ate Korak with a loathing expression.
"You're deshpicable." he says, and falls backwards, as stiff as a board, clanging against the floor.
what the F%#? What are you doing, kill that thing quickly - I cast Daze on the clown.
Jo snaps her fingers and sends a small magical spark at the remaining clown.
The clown abruptly stops chuckling and starts spinning its head and upper body back and forth with its arms held limply at its side.
Jorriko misses the slowly swaying clown once again, misjudging his timing and doing nothing more but catch a glancing blow on one of its toes.
Korak steps into flanking position, in an attempt to make it even harder for the jester to fight back. As he enters the creature's blind spot, the brawling tiefling kicks his target's lower back area.
"Hah! Give me clown shoes and get you ass kicked by them! Literally! I'm starting to enjoy this joke." he says with a loud laughter.
I delay until joriko´s action.
Then
I just use full defense.
Korak unleashes another heavy punch with his gloved hands, sending the dazed clown reeling, before Jorriko finishes it off with his first solid hit, a smashing Greatclub blow.
The jester slams into the ground and stops moving.
Jorriko then turns to his companions, and heals the slight burns they each were inflicted.
At that, the last Jester pops up again!
...And is immediately put back down by an annoyed Korak.