The Dying City: DM Norv's "Curse of the Crimson Throne"

Game Master The Norv

I did not say Callie touched anything in the room. I said she *looked* for trouble. Emphasis on sight-based helping. Sorry if that's nitpicky, but I don't *ever* infer I touch anything unless I say so explicitly (like obviously if she is searching through someone's pockets she is touching them). I've learned the hard way many times before not to. I recognize nothing bad happened here, but I want to be clear for future reference. And speaking of sight based things...

Are there any visual differences between the tigers on the doors?

Ah, sorry, fair enough! Noted. And no, the two doors seem to be identical - although the tigers in the circle are "walking" in opposite directions on the two doors (clockwise on the left door, counterclockwise on the right). The tiger heads in the middle of the doors are identical, as far as you can tell, and the tiger patterns themselves are identical, just mirrored.

Growling his unease, Matoska lays his ears back and stalks into the room, warily sniffing the air but keeping back and letting the trapfinders do their work.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

With the fighting over Lantressa looked at Korriban in concern. Whatever he had inhaled was nasty and seemed to be lingering. She was just relieved that Teo could do something to help him. While he did she gazed at what she could see of the area and when they were all ready proceeded to explore the labyrinth.

As they continued forward Lantressa felt herself on edge, particularly once the strange prints were found. What in the world would be that big, walk on two legs, and leave cat prints?! She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

When they found the "craft" room Lantressa was surprised. She had never expected to see such a thing down here, the fact that it held things that might be worth selling was bot as and not as surprising. Still she felt relief that they left them be, they had been given permission to be down here and it was better to not abuse that permission.

The discovery of the secret door was surprising, and potentially helpful, and so she followed along while keeping a watchful eye out for trouble. The discovery of the tiger doors made the tiefling trollop very nervous. Lantressa didn't like the idea of large cats being down, even more so if they were tigers. She was just relieved that the doors didn't appear to be trapped and prepared herself to go through them.

Matoska sniffs the air warily, but doesn’t detect any unusual scents. Just the bronze of the doors and the oil on the hinges...and the smells of your companions, of course (“adventurer” is a strong scent). Lantressa watches everything quietly.

...anyone going to take the plunge and open the doors to proceed through? :P

Seeing as everyone else seemed to hesitate Lantressa sighed in annoyance and stepped up to the doors. She looked for a handle of some kind but baring that simply pushed the doors opened and stepped just inside the room. With the doors opened she stepped inside and said imperiously, "The Master of this household has sent us to retrieve a victim from this labyrinth." She gave any living creatures she saw in the room a challenging look, "Who here will gainsay his chosen envoys?"

Note that Lantressa is wearing the ring she was given by Glorio if it makes any difference.

For some reason, I completely misread/misinterpreted how many doors there were and thought we had a choice and were waiting for folks to weigh in. One exit to the room that is not the way we came, yes?

Callie watches carefully as Lantressa shoves open the doors and announces herself. As she notices Lantressa showing the ring she was given by Glorio, she casts message and whispers toward Lantressa. "Lantressa, that ring's probably a item they can use to scry on us, like the knife. You should put it in a bag of holding or something."

When Lantressa strides towards the door the wolf pads back to her side, ready to intercede if violence becomes necessary.

Korriban blinks when Lantressa opens the doors and walks in. He gets ready for whatever comes.

Ah, sorry for the confusion. Yes, it’s a single exit through a double door.

Lantressa, somewhat impulsively, steps forward and pushes the large double doors open. They give way with a creak—clearly more from their solidity and weight than from disuse, as they seem well-maintained. She steps forward with an imperious speech on her lips, only to find that she’s speaking to an empty room.

Well, not quite empty. Two statues, each depicting a tiger-headed man, stand in alcoves to either side of the door. Their arms are wide, as though to usher visitors into the room beyond.

After carefully checking for any traps, you move into the room. Aside from the two statues, the place seems barren—but in the light shining from Callie’s buckler, you can see that another room lies through an archway just beyond. That room seems simple and mostly empty too, though you can see what looks like a foot-long lever sticking out of one wall.

All of you except Lantressa notice that there’s a strange gap, about a quarter-inch wide, in the floor, walls, and ceiling between this room and the next. It doesn’t seem to be a trap or anything, and there’s nothing stored in it (like a portcullis)—you’re not sure what purpose it would serve.

A reminder that I’m using our “Standard Dungeoneering Procedures,” so assuming that you have Korriban check for traps and take 10 to search each room quickly before moving on. If you want to examine anywhere in more detail just say so! I’ve updated the map; that dotted line is the gap I mentioned.

Callie points at the gap. "Gas to come in? Water? Or... some weird way in which they constructed the area?"

I just got a crazy idea as to what this could be--but I'm not sure it would occur to Callie.

Rotating/spinning platforms? Not that Matoska has any knowledge of engineering

Me right now.

Assuming that at least some of you have moved far enough into the first room that you can see into the room with the lever more clearly...

Two alcoves open on either side of this otherwise empty room. In one alcove, a long lever with an ebony handle protrudes from the wall.

As far as you can tell, that's all that's in there. No one sees any traps, or anything else of interest. It seems to be a dead end, save for the lever.

What next?

Yup, but I was trying not to spoil it

"So guys, weird architecture and a big mysterious lever. Go in and push it, or backtrack to where those tracks led?

Korriban says with a hint of sarcasm. "Gee, I wonder what'll happen in here." Cutting the sarcasm, he says, "I say we pull the lever. I mean, something bad may happen. But we may get something out of it?"

Matoska whines and lays his ears back, clearly not understanding what's going on and not happy about it.

"We could also see where the tracks went, and then come back here later."

"PULL IT! PULL IT! PULL IT!" Teodor claps in rhythm.

"Why don't YOU pull it then, Teodor?"

If he does, Callie goes into the room with him.

"Fair enough! Wheeeee!" Teodor runs and pulls the lever.

Anyone else going into the room with Teo? Or are the rest of you hanging back?

Matoska stays put, the crazy End Times priest seems like he's got this

^ What he said.

^Ditto. But, I'll stand ready to run in and get Teodor out of whatever he's dragging himself into.

*cracks knuckles* Here we go, then! Sorry for the delay. This is hard to do by phone.

Teodor lunges forward - Callie following hurriedly - as the rest of you hang back. He grasps the lever and gives it a firm pull downward.

For a second, nothing happens.

Then, with a loud rumbling, grinding noise, the room that Callie and Teodor are standing in shifts. It swings to the right, fast enough that Callie staggers and Teodor is thrown off his feet (and fast enough that you're glad no one is standing in that interstitial space between the rooms). The room rotates for a second and then, with a grinding noise, comes to a stop.

Callie and Teodor find themselves looking into a barren stone room. They can see the edge of a door to their left, and some kind of alcove to the right.

Korriban, Lantressa, and Matoska find themselves staring at a stone wall...at least, that's what they will see. With the light on Callie's shield gone, they're standing in pitch blackness!

What next? Party's been split - what's your response?

Edit to add: here's the map.

Matoska has darkvision, so he's alright.

Deciding to take a risk in the darkness, Matoska shifts back into human form and steps closer to Lantress, whispering in her ear.

"You got rid of the ring Glorio gave you, right?" Regardless of her response, the Shoanti warrior steps away and shifts back. Walking up to the stone wall where Callie and Teo had been, he scratches at the stone and makes a few low-pitched woofs then listens for a response.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (13) + 18 = 31

Yup! Anyway. Is the lever still there?

Yep! The lever is still there.

"As fun as it would be to leave the slow-movers in our wake, they're kind of screwed without us," Callie quips. "Let's see if we can get back to them." She pulls the lever again.

Callie pulls the lever...and nothing happens.

perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34"It's resetting. Know anything about mechanics?"

Callie offers her hand to help Teo up. She shakes her head meanwhile, answering his question. "Not in my governess's curriculum, unfortunately. And on the streets I stuck to picking purses rather than mastering the engineering of traps. Makes me want to study some engineering now, but hindsight is always the clearest vision, isn't it?"

She tries to listen for what Teo hears.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

"How long you think it'll take to reset?"

In the meantime, Callie pulls out her chalkboard to put notes on the swinging room and what they have found.

If it takes some time, she peers around toward the alcove on the right to see what she sees there.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Korriban is surprised as the room seems to rotate after Teodor pulls the lever. "Guys!" He runs over and bangs on the wall a bit. "This is not good. What do we do?"

In Callie and Teo's room...

After about a minute, you notice that the lever seems to have stopped ticking.

Beyond the lever, the room you're currently in is empty. The room it's now opening into...well, that might be another story.

But I assume your priority is getting back to the group? ;)

After the ticking stops, she pulls the lever again.

Presuming they return to where they started--not a guarantee!--Callie addresses the others with a grin and a wink. "Would you stop loafing about already and get in here?"

Callie pulls the lever again...but it does not bring her and Teodor back to the room they started in! With a rumble, the room continues to move in the same counter-clockwise motion it did before. Teodor topples over again as the room spins them into alignment with a new stone chamber, a barren room with a small hallway visible in one corner. The lever begins faintly ticking again...

Meanwhile...

Korriban, Lantressa, and Teodor - still in total darkness - step back slightly as the wall in front of them suddenly rotates again. When it stops moving, Lantressa and Matoska can see into a small, round room. A five-foot diameter pool of murky green water nearly fills this small, circular chamber.

Anyone moving out of the rooms they're in? If not, great - I will assume Callie keeps pulling the lever until the two rooms align (assuming they do!).

Map

Lantressa was rather surprised when the wall spun around and she simply stared at it in surprise. After a moment she said, "Huh, that was unexpected." She glanced at Matoska when he whispered to her and the glance turned into an annoyed glare but she didn't deign respond to his words. Didn't they realize it didn't matter if they had the ring or not? If Lord Arkona wanted to spy on them they were in his sanctum and she was certain he knew this place well enough to scry on them if we wished even without the ring. After all he scryed on them in the room earlier without it so why would having it make it any easier on him?

Lantressa saw Korriban move up to the wall and pound on it and felt she felt sorry for him. There was nothing they could do just then so she stepped forward to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder and pull him back as she said, "There is nothing we can do but wait just now, we can only hope they come back safe on their own."

perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

"Say, Callie, you're the brains of our little band. Should we be worried about what 'vivified' means?"

As the new chamber reveals itself, Matoska moves to the doorway--not quite entering, but sniffing and looking around carefully. If the door starts to move again he jerks back to stay with Lantressa and Korriban.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33

I can't even make that DC on a 20 so...

"Huh? I... what, as in the name of the labyrinth? Little late to be worried about that, isn't it? Actually, I find it a relief this appears to be mechanical and, say, not a giant set of bowels slowly digesting us." She looks up and around and shouts to the universe in general, "Don't get any ideas!"

"Anyway, I guess we keep trying, huh?"

She jots down another sketch on her chalkboard.

"In truth, I was trying to be smooth about asking what it means."

Lantressa saw Korriban move up to the wall and pound on it and felt she felt sorry for him. There was nothing they could do just then so she stepped forward to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder and pull him back as she said, "There is nothing we can do but wait just now, we can only hope they come back safe on their own."

Korriban feels Lantressa pull him back. He sighs. "Yeah. I guess. I just hope they're okay."

Korriban blinks as he hears the gears whir and come to life again. When they stop, he asks, "Okay. What just happened? I can't see anything in this darkness."

Assuming that we're proceeding with the lever-pulling...

Matoska smells nothing but fetid water in the pool ahead of you...but after a minute, the wall rotates again when Callie pulls the lever. The next rotation brings another pool of water into view for Matoska and Lantressa - this one apparently not fetid and rank, seeming to be clean, clear water (at least from what Matoska can smell - I'm going to assume you don't wander into the room!). After another minute, Callie pulls the lever again, and your rooms finally re-align. Light returns to the threesome in the entrance hall, and Teodor and Callie finally are reunited with their friends.

So...NOW how will you proceed? :)

When they saw the clean pool room, what did Teo and I see?

"Oh, thank goodness you waited for us," Callie sighs with relief. She describes how the room rotated to connect with other passageways, and that it seems to take a minute to reset.

"Anything happen on this end?"

Korriban blinks as Callie explains what happened on their end. He then says, "It was just a wall during the first rotation. The second time, there was a room with some smelly green water; and the third time, there was a pool of clear water."

I'm assuming that Matoska and Lantressa would have told Korriban what was in the rooms. If not, then disregard this post.

Matoska doesn't have a way to communicate without shifting back and forth. He'd have indicated that there was no apparent danger, but that's about all he could do.

I would have at least.

Lantressa described what she saw with each rotation of the room to Korriban since he couldn't see it for himself. There wasn't much to it, just clear or murky water but it was still good to know. She felt a great wash of relief to see Callie and Teodor made it back safely after the last rotation of the rooms.

"Again!"