Pertreeko nods his assent. "Let us be bold. There's no challenge this place can offer that we can't overcome, together."
"Indeed. Perhaps we will finally catch up to those lost scholars. Though how they passed through this level is beyond my understanding."
Allowing yourselves to be taken by the flow, you wind up in the pool where the automaton was defeated. As previously discovered, a partially flooded hallway leads east from this Reservoir to a set of stairs going up. After 15 feet, they turn into a zigzagging descending staircase for 100 feet or so...
The long stairway ends in a small chamber. On the north wall, a panel with two bronze levers - one red and one black - is set chest-high in the wall. To the east, an archway leads to an alcove. Distant ticking echoes through the walls, as if several large clocks were operating simultaneously.
I have a suspicion that there is more of that mechanical influence here....this might test our abilities.
Rallos moves towards the panel with the levers, examining it for any peculiar signs.
I think the only way is if we pull a lever...any idea which one?
Examining the levers, they are immaculately crafted and maintained...and, as far as you can tell, each lever has an 'up', a 'down' and a 'neutral / middle' position: both levers are currently in the neutral position.
Whilst Rallos examines the levers, one of the others takes a minute to explore this apparent dead end - The walls of the alcove to the east are mismatched. Most of the room is finished in masonry blocks, but to the north is a curved wall of bronze. There’s a narrow seam between the bronze wall and the masonry, and the bronze wall seems to be vibrating very faintly.
"Check for any signs of wear on the levers. We should imitate whatever pattern seems to be commonly used.". Yasmin will look for just that, while detecting magic.
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The levers, and the panel itself, seem to have little scratching or wear – it is impossible to tell whether either lever is used more often (or in a specific direction) than the other. As Yasmin looks for auras, she detects a moderately strong transmutation aura in the panel…in fact, to various degrees of intensity, she sees such auras nearly everywhere that she looks…
At least, we know where to find metallic offerings for the Godbox now. May I check these levers too? I know a thing or two about mechanisms, but unlike you, Rallos, I'm not very useful to dismantle them should the need arise.
Ea - the levers appear to be part of some kind of a Clockwork mechanism - but you are unable to tell what they specifically do.
Let's try this one.Fate will tell.
Ea lowers the red one.
Yasmin sees if she can discern anything about the transmutation auras she sees.
Pertreeko takes a cautious step backward as Ea activates the red lever, glancing about himself uncertainly.
Yasmin has little time to deduce anything about the auras before Ea boldly wrenches the red lever to the 'Down' position... The curved bronze wall off to the east clanks loudly as it rotates aside, revealing a bronze-walled, angled passageway that turns to the right - ending at a set of double doors.
The large double doors, reinforced with iron bands, look much newer than the dungeon walls. An emblem in the shape of an automation’s head inside interlocking gears is painted on the door.
This didn't turn out that bad. Do you think you can open that door, Rallos?
"Charming place," says Yasmin. She casts Mage Armor on Pertreeko, knowing his normal armor will not protect him if he shapechanges.
She continues the obligatory search for magical auras.
I will see what I can do....
Rallos moves to the door and examines it first.
Confident he didn't find any traps, he goes about opening the door.
Rallos listens carefully at the door: hearing nothing, he further inspects it for traps - satisfied that it is safe, he smiles to his friends and swings the door open...
What happens next is just too fast for the tiefling to comprehend, let alone react to; standing directly behind the door, a bovine figure...breath steaming from flared nostrils, hooves stamping and cruel looking horns...swings an enormous and brutal looking axe straight down upon Rallos' head...with a sickening crunch but no other noise of protest, the rogue collapses in a rapidly expanding pool of crimson blood...
Snorting victoriously, jagged brass rings clanking on its' horns, the minotaur raises the axe once more...blood dripping from the cruel blade...
"Noooo!!"
Grayface hadn't even stepped forward to engage the surprising threat before the massive axe cleaved deep into his friend's skull. Errant blood spray spattered Gray's face. Nearly certain that Rallos was killed outright, the fighter went into a rage that clouded his vision with red.
He felt Rallos' lifeblood run down as his face as moved forward and swung Gorloth's Edge.
Yasmin gasps at the axe that seems to cleave Rallos in twain. "Son of a whore!" She zaps the minotaur with ice!
That gonna leave a mark...Poor Rallos. It was bound to happen.
Ea does her best not to step on her bloodied friend corpse, and swings her morningstar to the magnificent beast while trying to identify the obviously dangerous creature
Ea - you think this creature is a Minotaur however you don't know anything useful about its weaknesses or abilities.
Grayface's fury at Rallos' apparent demise is all-consuming, his blade swinging into the Minotaur that stands before him... Oxen blood mixing with that of the felled tiefling... Moments later, in a blast of ice, the door guardian is coated in frost - dark blood freezing within it's open wound...
Stepping past Rallos, Ea smashes her Morningstar into the creature...
Pertreeko is stunned into momentary inaction by his friend's death. Just like Moranno before... is all he can think, even in the face of the apparent terror of the Minotaur. Then, Grayface's scream of anguish shocks him back to reality, and the druid immediately focuses his anger on the minotaur that slew his friend! His fury manifests all around him in the form of angrily crackling electricity. His normally black avian eyes shift to a pure white. Lightning bolts flay the ground around him from his fingertips, breaking the stone floor into dozens of tiny pieces that hang suspended in the air. Above the druid's head, a stormcloud of wrath begins to form.
The blow from the minotaur was devastatingly powerful yet Rallos’ tiefling heritage comes to his rescue in a surprising way…the head of the axe strikes a hyper-dense part of bone within Rallos’ skull (possibly the beginnings of a horn-like growth) and, instead of cleaving through his skull, is deflected down onto his shoulder. The trauma of the blow and the profound blood loss is still enough to push Rallos into unconsciousness but, perhaps miraculously, he still lives…
Crusted with frost and moving with a lethargic motion, the minotaur swings it’s axe at Ea whilst attempting to smash its horns into Grayface…
"Eyes on me, cow pie! I'm all the danger you can handle!"
Grayface shouts his taunt at the minotaur in hopes of keeping its blows aimed at him instead of Yasmin and her less-than-preferable ability to absorb incoming axes. Once again he put his blade to work.
In the end, the fight takes few seconds to resolve itself...although the minotaur was able to land a single devastating blow upon Rallos, it could not then stand up to the combined steel and magic of Grayface and Yasmin - it collapses as Grayface sweeps his sword upwards into its skull... Falling backwards with a crash of flesh and metal...
Before the horned beast had hit the ground, Gray stepped to Rallos' side and knelt down to look at the wounds. Had he been thinking clearly he would've let someone else administer their healing skills or better still - healing magic. Not thinking clearly in this case, he pulled the tiefling's eyelids up to see if there was any semblance of consciousness. Seeing none, he ripped off a strip of of Rallos' undershirt and tried to bandage the deep shoulder wound. Seeing the chunk taken out of his friend's skull and finding that the strip of cloth was wholly insufficient for the size of the wound, Grayface sat back on haunches, finally remembering that his companions would be far better suited to bringing Rallos back from the brink of death.
Grayface sat nearby silently for a moment, then realized with a pang that danger might still lurk in the shadows. He lifted his sword again and stood upright, looking and listening for any further threats. He would stand as a sentinel while someone healed the broken rogue.
Normally, Yasmin might leave the task of healing the wounded to one of her able companions. But with Rallos in a terrible state, she rushes over immediately. "Rallos! Stay with us, damnit!" She instinctively weaves new magic between her hands, as a sulfurous smell wafts in the air. She realizes as she's casting that the power she draws from is undeniably tainted. Yet if there was ever a time for such magics....
The priestess gives her healing wand to Yasmin, as the deeply tan beauty uses her sorcerous magic.
With cold resolve, Ea let everyone else bother with Rallos Fate, taking a few minutes to be certain no more danger lurks around, and knowing whatever could be done to save the tiefling live is already done.
Whilst recovering from the shock of the brutal attack, several of the party members take the opportunity to examine the room that the minotaur had been guarding. Slightly maze like in it’s construction, the central feature of this chamber is a pool of fresh water in a basin of gold tiles – all of the walls are decorated with tiled patterns, once colourful but now faded and cracked. Four staggered columns within the room support the vaulted ceiling and, out to the east of the chamber, a set of double doors provide an exit.
Lying in the bottom of the basin, you catch a glint of something slightly discoloured… pulling it from the water – which is curiously warm around it - you discover a delicate golden necklace with inset rubies in an elaborate pendant… Curious, Yasmin detects an aura and, taking a little bit of time to assess it, determines it to be a
"Wait, Ea, I don't know how to use this thing..." as Ea wanders off, Yasmin returns her focus to Rallos. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, your fate is not to die today." She does her best impression of a haughty cleric.
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"Gosh, does this thing still have juice left?"
Rallos comes to out of his slumber...
What the blazes happened? I was working the lock then I see a blur then nothing. He glances over at the corpse of the minotaur.
Umm, did that hit me? Is there a bell ringing? My head is throbbing. My thanks for the healing...
Rallos just sits and contemplate how close to death he came.
The fighter raises and eyebrow as the cleric walks away from their companion in desperate need. He nearly said something stern when suddenly the sorceress crouched by Rallos' side and used the magic wand of healing.
Impressed, he said "Nice one Yasmin. I didn't know you could use those wands."
Reaching to the fallen rogue, Gray extended a hand, lifting the thin rogue to his feet like a rag doll. "You alright buddy? You scared the asmodeus out of me. We thought you were a goner for sure."
After patting Rallos on the back and helping him pick up his dropped belongings, Gray moved into the room where they found the magic necklace. He seemed to appreciate the art of the walls. "This room was once beautiful. I wonder who took the time to make these intricate tiles only to bury them so deep in the ground in this...tomb."
"Now where to? We can try another lever or we can try these doors here--" pointing eastward.
Inspecting the dead minotaur, a sweet, slightly agricultural, scent coming from the corpse, you realise that what you had previously taken for armour - is actually plates of brass grafted into it's flesh... Some of the plates seem to have fresh wounds around them as if they had been recently attached - whilst some have long faded scar tissue...
"I'm so glad you're okay, Rallos!" Yasmin gives the tiefling a hug as he stays sitting. "Listen, I totally get it if you want to take a break. Whatever the thing who controls this place is doing is frightening. It looks like he is fusing flesh and metal to create these abominations!" Yasmin gestures to the corpse of the minotaur.
Sorry, Yasmin. I thought you were able to use the healing wand without difficulties. I should have gave it to Pertreeko. I'm glad to see you back, Rallos.
Ea touches the dead minotaurs flesh, hoping to learn more about the creature
Pertreeko heaves a heavy sigh of relief when Rallos is revived, seemingly from death's door. After Gray helps him to his feet, the druid embraces the tiefling in a brief, fierce hug. "Don't scare me like that!" he instructs the rogue; then, to Yasmin, "I can take the wand of Cure. As Ea mentioned, I didn't realize that you couldn't do it without making a check. I'll also take that Necklace of Fireballs."
"Actually, it was kind of fun playing with that wand," says Yasmin. But he hands it over to Pertreeko.
"Rall, mind checking out these doors for traps? I'll stand right here with you in case any more beasts make an appearance while you're attention is elsewhere."
Sure...just whack anything that comes through the door, will you?
Rallos checks the door for traps
Rallos, ever more cautious, inspects the doors for traps... he detects nothing untiward in the doors themselves although, beyond the doors, he hears the telltale sound of machinery - much more distinct and mechanical than the general 'ticking' that has accompanied the party around this level so far...
Ea - there is little to learn about the minotaur - brutish creatures, they have an affinity to mazes and labyrinths... and are exceptionally strong. The metal plates in this one appear to have been magically fused to its flesh...
Ea rolls her eyes playfully at Yasmin's poor choice of words.
Then she inspects the minotaur, and says
This is the first time I see that. The metal plates have been fused to its flesh by magic. As minotaurs are powerful creatures, it means the one who did that is able to overcome them, or has been able to stuck a bargain with them, using his strange magic to strenghten his bullying allies. Let's prepare ourselves for a maze, and more traps and tricks, for it is the traditional place for minotaurs. And for strange magic too... It reminds me of the undead priest we fought, who was doing experiment on deceased flesh. An heresy to Pharasma, if ever there was one.
As Rallos continues to listen at the door , he hears a good deal of clatter and activity: the clang of metal on metal, scraping, rustling, and occasional whirring. Ready for whatever is on the far side of the door, Grayface swings the door open to discover what appears to be some kind of junk yard - Piles of scrap metal and broken machinery lie around this room, organized into tidy rows. Most are disassembled limbs or torsos from human-shaped machines.
Two clockwork servants, of a similar design to the one you discovered in Tarrin Dars’ library, are salvaging parts from several emerald automatons that appear to have been destroyed in a fight. Thus far, utterly absorbed in their task, they have not registered your presence.
There’s a panel with a red-handled lever on the room’s east wall.
Seeing little-to-no diplomatic option here, these machines attacked us on sight last time, not to mention the warm bovine welcome we just received, the warrior felt it would be good to utilize the initiative.
Easing back with caution through the door, Gray whispers to his companions,
"There are two. Like the one we gave to the trog god. We have the advantage of surprise. Rall, you wanna sneak in there into position? I'll charge in afterwards."
Yasmin concurs with the plan. She readies a spell.
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Ea takes place near the other mechanical foe
but Fate doesn't favor her...