"Good." She claps her hands together "Now that this is taken care of and you finished playing with that corpse we should perhaps consider moving on? From what I hear it sounds like our new friends have some idea - but I can't really understand what they are saying!"
"It's a fascinating artefact, isn't it. When this is all over I'd like to attempt to duplicate it."
Sorry, how terribly average. Anyone in the party should just declare they want to use these numbers as needed.[/ooc]
Nethan looks at Alþórel, "That is a good idea but you know what is better?! If we can figure out how to weave this web into armor! Just imagine, we can wear armor with the strength greater than steel and it will not hinder our magic. In addition, to other possible applications?!
Elise overhears Nethans suggestions and cannot help but interject her own opinions
"You find magical spiderweb and your first thought is to wrap yourself in it for 'ease of moment'? Just make sure you get the adhesive out of it first ... Now - as a core for a spear or perhaps just a flail - that has potential!"
Alþórel nods "True - there is a strong potential for the webbing. I've only ever heard of spider silk being usable for rope."
he considers
"Arachnids can produce many kinds of silk, and are natural weavers. I wonder if that was this spider's intended purpose?"
one here... though I probably should have used two
"I think we should go through the door to the east, when everyone is ready."
"Aye. Doors are always interesting. Especially when guarded by magic spiders. Amelia, would you have a look so we don't bring the entire well down upon us or something when we open that door?"
"I'm ready to move on. The Eldred home sounds interesting, but is it part of our purpose here? Or a place to rest, at least? "
Larskall replies to Amelia after a bit of thought "The entrance looked like a 'tear' or 'rip', it looked like the forest I came from was bleeding into this .. building.. well.. dungeon whatever you want to call it. We only found it several days ago so I am not sure how long it has actually been opened. Or why it opened at all in the first place."
Amelia begins to inspect the eastern door, there are no traps in it but she had to look for a little while before finding the handle to actually pull the door open. It was hidden behind a loose brick and it seems that pushing the door was doing nothing. As Amelia swings the door open she feels a breeze rush past her. That likely means this is a corridor to someplace else.
Just behind the threshold it opens up into an atrium with an idol set in the centre. A rather disgusting idol to say the least, it is a meld of several bodies of different Eldred strung together, it is however made of stone and not actual bodies. This doesn't stop the thing looking grotesque as it depicts the bodies of at least 3 Eldred being held together by their skin and some thread. They are clumped up in a ball together and it shows their faces screaming. Beneath this idol there is several offerings and a pair of candles that are still lit, the offerings are several small gemstones.
In this room there is a ladder down, going down the ladder whomever is down there finds themselves in an enclosed room, though it seems to be made of glass or some such as the room reflects on itself eerily. Though something is off, every panel has a number written on it, 1-5 (roof not included). Those numbers aren't being reflected, everything else is however.
"Since we seems to be unable to leave on our end, atleast without exploring alot more, a safe haven would probably be useful. I have a feeling we might be stuck here a while ..."
No worries - as long as there is plenty that could pose a challenge here! The Linnorms do require some practice ... Elise doesn't seem that bothered by the though of being stranded on a far-off dimension. She is confident that they will find their way back - and she is in no hurry.
She leaves the metaphysical questions of where and holes in realities for the other to ponder about (for now, she might get bored later and give it a go). Instead she focuses on the new room. The idol in the middle is unsettling to say the least.
It sets off every mental alarm in her body at the same time. "Hjärteblod och aska! Not a freakin chance someone had the time to sculpt that in a few days time!" She carefully circles the idol, keeping it at a good distance. "Hey - magic men! Take a look at this. I want to know what frakking magic did this - and how to stay as possible away from it..."
Nethan was in the zone thinking about the spider web's power but still had enough of his brain the follow the group in group order. Upon hearing Elise's words regarding Magic Men, Nethan is draw back to the present. Nethan moves up the order to inspect, "Pardon me, coming through." Nethan arrives at the front, "Ok big pole arm lady, let me see?" Nethan looks at the idol carefully without touching it. Nethan casts Detect Magic on the idol and uses his skills to help determine what had occurred;
Detect Magic
Knowledge-Arcana (Int):
Knowledge-Dungeoneering (Int):
Perception (Wis):
Spellcraft (Int):
Flynt takes a position in the corner of the room, revolver drawn and examining all the visible entrances and even the ceilings.
Elise nodded in smug satisfaction. It seems that the godling could tell the difference between men and women, lords and ladies. While Nethan inspects the sculpture Elise takes the time to walk over to the ladder and peers down.
"Yeah. I doubt someone would build a cellar for just mirrors. But then again, Tar-Baphon wasn't perhaps the most ... stable individual."
"Eugh, the perversion in this place continues," says Dreyyn, disgusted at the statue Nethan is examining.
Alþórel avoids the Eldred statue, content that Nethan's eldritch skills are sufficient to untangle the abomninable Eldred statue.
Far more fascinating, to him, is the room.
"Elise, the idea of a base camp from which we could strike out is wise, but perhaps not here. What is critical is that we stay together. This place moves in some way we don't know. I would hate for someone to become isolated. At a maximum we should form two parties, and rejoin at any sound of disturbance."
"Indeed. I was referring to the Eldred's world. But it remains to see if they are also cut off, or if one can pass trough their end without effort. Splitting up sounds neither wise nor beneficial so I have to agree with you there."
"We should not split up," says Calathar. "That never works well."
"What do we make of these numbers?" he muses. "Why five, when there are six sides?"
Flynt picks up one of the gemstones offered to the idol and examines it idly.
"Can the panels be moved?" He asks, pocketing the gem.
Elise notices that Flynt is messing around with the tributes to whatever that ... lump was. She quickly takes precautions as to not stand next to him and gives him a worried glance.
Nethan can tell that this statue isn't magical though the way it was made seems to be. The lines are too smooth, the work too perfect. Something is eerily off about the idol, this was made by a sculpture no doubt but maybe using hands of magic.
Nothing seems to be glaring about it in these two disciplines. Neither for the offerings, though the gemstones are well cut, so at least a crafter refined it. Though not by use of tools but by teeth. You are sure which is more impressive, the fact that someone could cut gems with teeth or that their teeth are hard enough.
The Eldred are wearing different garb to the ones you have met, some seem to have tattoos and loincloths. One is wearing bits of plate mail with other parts missing. The proportions of the Eldred are also perfectly scaled. There are no prints or crafted markings on this idol though near the bottom there seems to be frozen droplets of some form of liquid. Maybe whatever was used to paint it?
Alþórel tries to write on the walls of the reflective surfaces and sees that the writing does reflect. The walls are numbered 1-4 with the floor numbered 5. Calthar eyes the ceiling suspiciously wondering why there is no 6th side.
Calthar spots on one side of the ceiling that there is a very thin panel just above the wall labelled 4. The side of the panel is maybe 2 inches thick, and is slotted into a slit just as wide. Calathar can't figure how big the rest of the panel is that he can't see but he can hazard a guess that it is another glass wall.
Elise taps one of the Eldred on the shoulder and points towards the sphere "Anyone of these seem familiar to you?"
"A good question my friend. Have you found something?"
"Wait! Don't move anything until we are all here and Amelia has looked for danger."
Nethan looks up away from the statue, "There is no doubt that magic created this statue. It is too perfect to not have been." Nethan goes back to studying the statue and begins to speak, "The mirrors may be a source of light or something more nefarious to be bounced off them?" At which time, Nethan looks closer at the statue.
Can Calathar see a nonmagical way to access the panel in the ceiling?
Amelia knocks on all the mirrors and finds that each of them appears to be hollow.
Calathar can just about get his fingers around the panel if he tries to climb up the ladder a bit to reach the panels. Pulling feels that it is being held back by something. Maybe a mechanism of a sort, Calathar can also fit a blade or dagger just between the slits between the panel and the slot.
Giving a quick yank on the panel Calathar pulls the panel about 3-4 inches out of the slot, the group can see that panel 1 moves slightly when he does it. Though the panel falls back into the slot after the yank.
Alþórel starts
"Wait Calathar! Let us all be here together before we move anything. I suspect these mirrors can be pushed, somehow. As the numbers are not reflected I suspect an illusion of some sort, but it could also be some sort of extra-planar combination lock."
Slightly disappointed the Eldred didn't appear to react in any way to the statue (Perhaps they are used to this kind of sorcery?) Elise decides to walk over to Flynt and examine the statue and the tribute closer. He didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from disturbing it, but she was certainly not going to try her luck yet. But if he hasn't started to rot by tomorrow, I'll certainly insist on my share of the loot. After it is transmuted into something less ... ominous. Like whatever passes for coins down there in Eldred land ... She gently nudges the gunslinger forward towards the gems.
"You grab the rest - we might need something to trade for if we are stuck in the Eldred half of the world. Besides, if they are cursed, we wouldn't want to confuse whatever malicious deity they are dedicated to whom to smite by giving multiple options" She grins at him and gives him another 'supportive' pat on the back.
Calathar waits until Alþórel gives him the nod, then levers the panel open with his dagger.
Dreyyn heads over to the mirror room to look around.
"Maybe this is part of the movement and clunking we heard earlier."
Alþórel calls out
"Could everyone please attend us?"
"Right!" Elise turns to the Eldred and the dwarf "You heard him. Stop oogling that hideous thing and come over here!
She walks over and start to decend down the ladder. "Chop chop! she sounds as if attempting to herd chickens or an unruly child.
Nethan looks towards the group and walks towards them while pointing at the statue "I believe the statue use to be living people and then magically entombed in stone with their own flesh. I have read that both creature and magic alike can turn people into stone. We should continue on with caution to make sure we do not end like them just in case indeed they were once in the flesh. Perhaps later, we can test my theory to see if they were truly people or not? Like the rest of you, I wouldn't be surprised if Tar-baphon used people to turn them into statues nor create a trap or use a creature to reach the same goal."
The dwarf and Eldred leave the statue behind, every so often glancing back in disgust before it leaves their sight.
"Makes no sense," Flynt says, shaking his head and idly rubbing a hand on his sternum. Things like this always made his chest hurt a little bit, it might be all in his head or it might be the foul magic messing with him.
"Go ahead Calathar."
Calathar pulls aside the panel, ready to attack or leap aside.