I look to both the East and West, trying to work out which way to turn but being unsuccessful. I turn to look at Kzrira as she mentions sending the puppies down a possibly trapped passage, my face showing my concern for the animals and disapproval of her idea.
I then turn to face West, "I don't want to get hurt anymore, so I say stay away from the corridor that may hurt us a lot and go for the safer one."
Seeing Faelar's face - It does not have to be puppies, summoned rats or crows work just as well for setting off traps.
Karethas sighs quietly, "Well, if we KNEW there was a trap there, then I may use a creature to spring it. That is, if we knew that it would disarm the trap. I am not, however using a spell to send a creature down a hallway because I surmise that there MAY be a trap there."
"I'll go" offers Auri cheerfully as he heads down the West hall.
The little dragon glides down the narrow stairway and lands at the edge of the small 20x20 room beyond. He senses little in the room except for thick dust and cobwebs. In fact, the only item of interest is an odd statue in an alcove across from him that resembles a woman with a winged lioness' body.
Flapping up into the air, he closes in at about face height to investigate it... "A nice statue in here!"
Perception
As Aurichalcum flitters over to the strange marble statue, it suddenly lunges toward him with monstrous jaws lined with razor sharp metal teeth.
"IT'S A TRAP!"
Auri withdraws back towards the party at full tilt...
Hearing the scream from the wee dragon in my head, I aim my bow at the top of the stairs and ready an action to fire as soon as anything except Auri appears.
Attack(bow): <-- add +1 to attack & damage if < 30
Damage:
There is a crash behind the swiftly fleeing dragon who appears panting at the top of the stairs in an instant. No trace of danger follows, however.
"Statue, came to life. I never touched it!"
I watch Auri fly off and hear the scream of a trap. Once I see him at the top of the stairs and hearing what he said I look excited, "A living statue, did it talk, what happened, please tell me ... oh, you weren't hurt were you?"
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"Marble statue, but big gnashy metal teeth"
"Auri, did it actually move from it's base or did it just reach out and get you?"
"It lunged, I flew. It hasn't followed so far though..." he snakes his head back towards the coridoor to check he isn't being followed.
Whether Aurichalcum's encounter was real or imagined, there is currenly nothing but silence from beyond the stairs.
Well, I can stay at the top of the steps, can you go down again slowly and see if it is still there, if it follows you back, I will start shooting.
"I shall".
Auri begins flapping his way back slowly...
Aurichalcum descends the stairs a second time and finds the room in the same state he first found it; the strange statue unmoved from its alcove.
"It's still here"
I look to Kzrira, "Can I go and see it ... please? I might know what it is and may shed some light on the situation."
If I am allowed to go and see the statue I will move up to Auri and look into the room.
I look over at Faelar: You are welcome to do whatever you want. However, I would think you would want to be very careful if this stone statue does actually come to life.
I wave Faelar forward while advancing down the stairs behind him with my bow still nocked and ready to fire as soon as I seen anything dangerous.
Traveling down the stairs, Faelar comes to the threshold and peers over Aurichalcum into the chamber. The light of the lantern reveals what is obviously a statue of a gynosphinx in the alcove across the room.
Once Faelar returns Karethas speaks up, "So something like that is likely not to be hurt much by teeth, arrows, or swords, though Amir's mace might hurt it. I can summon another elemental to bash it, but that will be my last one. I can also use my acid darts, which may be useful. If it moves from its pedestal then I can create a pit under it that will keep it out of our faces for a few moments, but will only do a little harm to it. So
All that said, any other ideas to deal with this thing?"
I look to Karethas, "Although I would enjoy conversing with the creature, I doubt it would be able to respond and if us going over there is going to hurt it, then I say we go the other way and do not injure it or ourselves."
"We won't know what's in the room until we can search it."
Kzrira continues to stay toward the bottom of the steps watching to see if anything moves.
From what you all have said, this place is alive with magic. If that is so, then I think that we need to search and see what is to be found. There is a Carrion King out there somewhere, and I imagine that he would be very happy if we were to show up on his doorstep unprepared.
Maybe just dont get too close? Auri suggests.
This place has all the trappings of a play house or a bard's tale. Do be careful Faelar...
Auri, how close did you get to that monster before it started attacking you?
"I got fairly close...perhaps too close; within striking range it seems" Auri has another look around the room, giving the statue a wide berth.
Perception
The little dragon inspects the chamber once again keeping away from the troubling sphinx statue. In the center of the room, he notes that the dust and rubble have been pushed away, perhaps by the statue's lunge at him and then the statue moves again!
Auri
Amir
Karethas
Faelar
Kzrira
sphinx
Amir pulls his weapons and sets a readied action ro charge if the.creature xontinues to advance. Sorcery, at every turn,.do we flee or fight?
I do not know how useful my arrows will be although I have some blunt ones. If I had to guess, something big heavy and blunt will be more effective, like your mace.
What do you know about this thing Faelar or Karethas? What will work against it?
Round 1 - unless some other tactic is advised by the knowledgable ones
If the consensus is not to flee, I fire my bow using Blunt arrows unless advised to use something else.
Attack-rapid fire-blunt arrows:
Damage:
Attack-rapid fire-blunt arrows:
Damage:
Karethas begins an unfamiliar spell and a large pit opens up in the center of the room before the animated statue. "Stay and fight, this will hold it of for a moment."
Thank goodness Karethas goes before thesphinx in init or the in game resolution of sphinx advancing/readied action/pit making could have been bad bad bad ;-p
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Seeing the pit that has now been made, I cast a familiar spell. the area of the pit becomes slick with grease.
Oh I know it I meant itlike.from an observerers perspective....like watching a movie, it would be.sorta funny.
Amir draws his weapons as soon as he spots the sphinx statue crouch to pounce on the brave little dragon. Suddenly a pit appears before it causing it to slide unexpectedly into the darkness below. Karethas and Faelar recognize that it is of course an animated statue. Not powerful to be a stone golem, but likely a strange form of caryatid column. These guardian statues usually take the form of a column carves in a female form and armed with a magical blade. The stone is enchanted to shatter any blade used against them.
From the pit there is the sound of grating stone on stone, but the sphinx fails to reach the top of the pit.
I will fire the blunt arrows as posted to see if they have any affect.
"I wouldn't use blades on this creature, well Statue. It has a tough skin that shatters any blade that touches it!
I will then begin an inspiring performance, singing about the beauty of life, peace and friendship.
Kzrira fires into the pit at the living statue trapped below. Her first arrow merely shatters against the stone, but the other leaves a web of cracks upon impact. Faelar provided the soundtrack.
"You have to hit it hard to do any damage to that stone!" Karethas begins the complicated gestures of another summoning.