"Atol, we've only been down here 20 minutes. And we have yet to explore anything but the bottom of a pit, we have much work yet to do."
"Ahhh. Seems like longer. 20 minutes huh. hrm."
I'm going to have to be much more careful about using my powers!
Damn gnome is making me jumpy
Female voice: Don't swear!
"Yes mother."
Silfr looks to Finneas in surprise.
Speaking to the half-orc, he says "Your utterance perplexes me."
Looking at Silfr in surprise
"Eh?"
Thinks back
"Oh, ah, nothing. Something my mother said once."
Finneas looks around.
"Do we read Gnome? For that matter does Glimmil?"
The party wanders about without encountering any more traps or silver men. The doors are all closed and apparently locked. From north to south the doors are marked as:
N, E
D, I
Z
J
A, R
E, Z (the room beyond the illusionary wall)
Silfir and Finneas can look at the map and see it does not reveal any more than the map you already possess.
The party examines the door at B,-12 with the gnome glyph of 'I' on it. Several members of the party are convinced that several of the bolts securing the wood are actually iron colored flasks or false covers springloaded to activate if the door is forced.
Dyrant inspects the {B,-12} door with great care.
"See there? It's a trap! Should this door be forced, I'm sure dire consequences would ensue. If no one has the skill to trick the door into opening, maybe we go back though the tunnels those silver men went through."
Dyrant takes his time to inspect the other doors near B-12.
"The same thing here! Another strange attachment, surely another trap." Dyrant ponders, considering approaches.
Would they believe me if I said these doors could be opened only by those possessing the divine spark? Hmmm...
Dyrant looks at Atol and smiles, then reconsiders...
"Yes, it is possible that those silver men dug their own tunnels because they could never bypass the doors. It may be that through those deadly tunnels lies the fruit of our search: the children."
"I say we go back to the original door and then through the tunnels. But I have a concern Dyrant. Could the trap on that door have rearmed itself?"
And might those silver men be waiting in ambush on the other side by now?
"I say we go back to the original door and then through the tunnels. But I have a concern Dyrant. Could the trap on that door have rearmed itself?"
You return to the other door at some point and find much to your dismay that the trap appears to have reset. No ambush yet though.
Have no fear friends, I shall disarm this insidious device of peril!"
Glimmil moves ahead to the door leading to the tunnels.
Strange, Dyrant seemed quite insistent about a trap on those other doors, yet I didn't see one.
Wait... did I skip a large section near the hinges? Hmmm, no matter!
Glimmil unfurls his proper tools, which contain many fine examples of the art of lockpicking. However, as many are aware, various sundry items such as spoons, butter knives, springs, wires, an owlbear fingernail and more lay scattered about.
As Glimmil begins to decide which item to use this time, he hand pauses over many appropriate-looking instruments before picking up several ones that would look to an ordinary man to be useless.
Twirling a spoon through a spring wrapped around a pick, he works to disable any traps on the door.
"All finished!"
Dyrant ponders Finneas' question.
"Possibly. We could go check...the others have wondered off, and so shall we, I guess."
Dyrant looks back at Atol and ponders whether to mention anything.
*sigh*
St. Cuthbert give me the strength.
"Atol, would you like to come with way? We explore a safer way through this maze."
Dyrant will go back to check the first door, hopefully Finn is in tow.
Finneas will accompany Dyrant and anyone else to the door we have finally chosen to open.
Upon seeing Glimmil beginning his work
"We should take cover down the hallway or up the stairs, just in case."
This is going to end badly.
Glimmil sets to work at the door with the glyph of an 'A' on it. The pick slides along one of the apparently fake bolts, but does not catch on anything.
Glimil tries another bolt with a bit of rust on it. This time the pick slides deeper into the gears. The pick catches on something and a click is heard as he pulls.
Satisfied the trap has been disarmed, Glimil takes a couple minutes to unlock the door (now taking 20 since there are no consequences). It does take him the full two minutes to accomplish the task. Once he does, the door rolls open to reveal the room (J4). No silver men can be seen.
You can't take 20 on these doors. "Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding." Those fails would result in the trap going off.
"With continued caution, let us enter the room and examine the tunnels. Glimmil, if you would lead with your shield..."
"With continued caution, let us enter the room and examine the tunnels. Glimmil, if you would lead with your shield..."
Nothing more to see yet. The south tunnel ends quickly in a T-intersection. The east tunnel continues past the 80' of low light vision.
Dyrant follows, still mapping, crossbow now sheathed.
"Atol, would you like to come with way? We explore a safer way through this maze."
"Sorry Dyrant, I was miles away."
Atol hurries to rejoin Dyrant and stays close to lend a hand.
I wonder how large the blast radius is on this trap? 5'... 10'... the whole room? Best be ready.
Atol fingers his holy symbol and murmers a prayer to St. Cuthbert for resolution and strength in the face of a certain enemy.
"Gladly, good sir!" Glimmil beams.
He just asked me to lead! I'm the group's leader! Truly, Silfr is wise to recognize my talents.
The gnome seems to move ahead with even more spring in his step, as fast as his short legs will take him.
Glimmil reaches the T-intersection. To his left (east) the tunnel goes 30' before there is a mound of dirt and a hole in the ceiling.
To the right (west) there is a tunnel going south after 10'. There is very dim light coming from that tunnel.
To the right (west) further down, the tunnel turns left (south).
"I'll guard our backs, move past me."
If those silver men come I must be ready. There is not much room in here but I should still be able to handle them one at a time.
"Perhaps an arrangement of our warriors at both ends, then clerics to heal them would be appropriate in the tunnels of our enemy. By necessity I will conjure from the center."
Dyrant sees no cleric in the party, let alone multiple clerics, but keeps his mouth shut. Now is not the time for correcting others.
Just having the divine spark does not make one a cleric...
Glimmil turns south and sees:
Eight black marble pillars support the 30-foot-high ceiling of this majestic hall. The pillars are carved to resemble gnome artisans and warriors standing on each other’s shoulders, bracing the vaulted roof with their collective strength. The walls are adorned with faded murals depicting gnomes in reverie—playing pipes, dancing, performing acrobatic stunts, drinking wine, and so forth. The 40-foot-wide hall widens at the south end, where you see a large circular pool enclosed by a semicircular, 1-foot-high veined marble wall. Carved into the wall above the pool is a gnome visage with water spilling from its wide grin. Four bright lights illuminate the hall from end to end, corner to corner. They flicker and dance like torchlight and drift aimlessly about the hall, changing altitude and direction on a whim. Two piles of rubble, one in the northwest corner and another in the southwest corner, add elements of imperfection to this grand hall.
Dyrant moves to S-3.
"Ah! This room must be this large one here...as I expected." Dyrant clears his throat and strains for a look into the room over GlamGrilGnad.
Perception
strains for a look into the room over GlamGrilGnad.
and sees nothing else.
"Magnifici..." Glimmil is speechless as he looks about the room at the gnomish murals.
The gnome continues to take slow steps forward, completely engrossed in every image of every gnome at play before his eyes rest on the fountain.
Why haven't I come to Jzadirune sooner!
The party moves forward, but there is nothing new to see. The stairs go up to the east and the hallway continues to the west, but no silver men or other items of note are seen.
"I suggest we return to the tunnel and examine the other exit points. First to the west which should exit in room more modest than this grand hall. Then east, to find where on the map that tunnel provides an exit."
"Glimmil, do you know the significant or purpose of this grand hall?"
If others have entered the room, Dyrant moves to X2 and looks up the stairs.
Can he figure out where they would lead to on the surface?
If others have entered the room, Dyrant moves to X2 and looks up the stairs.
Can he figure out where they would lead to on the surface?
It leads to another landing. The door closest to you has the gnome glyph for 'E' on it. I moved people more into the room and assumed you could talk Atol into coming closer with his light.
"I agree with Silfr, let us take on the smaller rooms first. This one seems to present many options and I'd hate to leave an enemy at our back."
Those silver men are around here somewhere, I can feel their eyes.
"I agree with Silfr, let us take on the smaller rooms first."
What? How does that make a lick of sense? There are open landings here and there and you want to check the rooms first?
Dyrant bites his tongue, considers his options for a moment...
"I don't think that is wise. This landing *should* be a dead end leading to the surface, let me check on that, then the rooms should be next."
Dyrant will pad his way to X7.
Stealth
Dyrant will pad his way to X7.
It's dark up there. There is a door to your north and the hallway continues to the west into darkness.
"I don't think that is wise. This landing *should* be a dead end leading to the surface, let me check on that, then the rooms should be next."
Dyrant will pad his way to X7.
"Dryant, you seem cartographically confused. Let me see that map."
With the light at the bottom of the staircase, it's still dark at the top of the 20' staircase.
"This place is quite beautiful. It must have taken a lot for them to abandon it. Truly a great evil resides here now and must be stamped out. Dyrant, wait up!"
Atol moves to X 6 in a rush.
Perception
Atol
Dyrant
Dyrant and Atol hear water flowing, as if from a fountain, from further east down the hallway.
"What bothers me Atol is we haven't seen any silver men lately. They've had plenty of time to setup an ambush."
And no doubt Glimmil will wander right into it. A sound tactic, if deadly. The little one is very brave to offer himself as a target.
Glimmil is going to look around and notice Finneas and Silfir by the stairs. "Shoot! Dyrant and Atol must've wandered off again. I better hurry over and help Finneas and Silfir find them.
Glimmil rushes up to W7. He's about berate Dyrant and Atol for wandering off when, "Oh look. There's an 'N' on that door and a 'D' on the door at the end of the hall."
Perception
"What bothers me Atol is we haven't seen any silver men lately. They've had plenty of time to setup an ambush."
"Finneas, do you think they are the great evil here?"
Atol grips his crossbow more resolutely and considers his remaining abilities.
Finneas shakes his head
"If they were the reason the gnomes left this place we'd know more about them. Ghelve would have said something. If there is evil here then the silver men are just a part of it."
No if about it, there is something wrong with this place. It feels more like a tomb. These must be the doors with teeth, but was it the traps we were to watch for, or what's behind them?