Neverhome turns and smirks at the Samurai.
After Noise returns Neverhome happily scoops the Migrus up along with the scale. "Thank you, little one."
Retrieving the spear and strapping it across her back, Sigrun pocks up the centaur's warhammer, hefting it appreciatively.
As you pack up the spoils from this battle, Crone Jadrenka suddenly appears in the middle of the group. "Well now, you've removed an annoying thorn in my side. Nice of you to stop by and do it. Where are you young whippersnappers headed now?"
"Back to Hut?" Neverhome asks the others.
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Crow pats Noise's head when he comes back with the scale. "Good Kitty!...Kitty-thingie?"
Crow shakes her head at Neverhome "I think we should check the rest of the building, and if I'm not mistaken, we have to find the second key."
"Da."
"Second key? You're tracking down Dearest Grandmother, aren't you? Too bad I can't help you out. You seem like decent folk, and you took care of a minor problem for me, but my contract forbids me from assisting in you mission. I'm so sorry - whoops!" A small hunk of gold falls off Crone Jadrenka's neck and lands at your feet. "That was clumsy of me. Anyway, I have to do important warden things now. I wish I could help you; I really do. Good luck with your search." The strange woman begins to shuffle away.
Percy snaps up the fallen something and yells at her back, Ya well good riddance, you old good-for-nothing! Like we wanted your help anyway!
Neverhome couldn't tell if the woman was trying to be aloof, or just senile. Regardless, he picked up the gold.
You return to the four-pathed chamber and take the only route you've not explored. In the middle of traversing a winding set of stairs, the dark corridor abruptly becomes well-lit with a floral motif. About one hundred feet farther down, you make an interesting find.
Tiny pieces of quartz form an inlay of a crescent moon in the floor of this passage, surrounded by a ring of runes. A few yards beyond the inlaid symbol, a small round table stands in the middle of the tunnel. A wooden bowl filled with fresh wildflowers sits in the center of the table. Scattered among the wildflowers are four 6in wooden figurines of nude maidens. One is standing and holding a bouquet of wildflowers, one is kneeling and washing her hair, one holds a triangular knot in her hands, and one is sitting with her head gazing upward.
"Uhhhm... the runes here say 'From one stage unto the next, let my light always guide your path'" Zses looks to the quartz crescent moon on the ground "Is it talking about the moon? And these statues look like the engravings back at entrance."
"So if the statues represent different stages, do we have to do something with the maiden with the bouquet?" Sigrun asks.
Neverhome scratches his head. "Maybe?" he lets out, not knowing if there was any magic about them or if they were simple ornaments.
Hewn from the surrounding basalt, the walls of this large chamber have been chiseled into an incredibly-intricate display of thousands of wildflowers. In the middle of each of the carvings, a wreath of pinecones encircles a life-sized carving of a young nude woman. On the north wall, the figure washes her hair. On the east wall, the figure sits staring upward at a crescent moon. On the south wall, the figure picks a bouquet of flowers. On the west wall, the figure points to a triangular knot-shaped symbol.
"The woman looking up was staring at a crescent moon, so perhaps that figure is the one that will activate whatever this is." Sigrun says thoughtfully
Neverhome nods and scratches his head before shrugging. He'll then grab the figures and place them at the edges of the tables. The gazer facing the moon, to the right the one with the bouquet, to the right the one with the triangular knot, and to the right finally the kneeling washer.
Nothing seems to happen as Neverhome arranges the figures. Proceeding down the corridor, you see extremely bright light leaking out from behind the door to the next room. Inside, you can barely see due to the intense brightness. It's source appears to be a 6in-diameter hole in the floor in the center of the chamber. A locked door to the southeast is the only apparent exit.
Hila's eyes cannot handle the strain. She whines a bit as the brightness dazzles her.
Suddenly, several of you feel the sting of a blade pierce your flesh. There's no sign of your attackers.
Percy yelps and spins around in search of her attacker. I just got stabbed! Nobody stabs me and gets away with it!
He couldnt see much, nor unfortunately could Mule. That was fine until he heard the others yelp about being stabbed.
I can not see, light has dazzled my eyes yes yes. where are our foes?!?
He called drawing out his katana and waving it about menacingly
Looking around her, Sigrun tries to focus her attacks where she believes her assailant to be.
"Whoa, what is going on!?" Zses says, blinking, trying to pinpoint eventual magical energies around them.
There's definitely magic within the range of Zses' spell.
"What in the inferno?" Hobbes just draws his bow and readies to fire if he sees a target.
Hila bares her fangs and also readies.
There's definitely magic within the range of Zses' spell.
More stabbing pain ensues from your unseen assailants.
Percy snaps her fingers and Rocky appears. She points to the hole in the floor. Rocky walks over and sits on it.
As Rocky's heavy body blocks the blinding light, you see the faint images of four fluttering figures hovering over Hobbes/Hila/Sigrun/Zses. Now that you can (somewhat) see them, it's pretty clear that you've been attacked by a quartet of Lurkers in Light.
Golden eyes blinking a few times to adjust to the sudden change in light they soon narrow in annoyance as they settle on the now visible creatures. Walking over to the closet one Neverhome will swat at it.
Guiding his friend, Mule torwards Friend Hobbes he slashes hard at the strange creature with his katana. His stroke felt good, but due to the nature of the monsters he missed high... and cursed horribly.
Hila chomps at the closest Lurker.
With no room to shoot his bow, Hobbes will