The door hasn't been oiled in awhile and needs a little more force. With a visible effort and a pry bar Dash opens the lock with a loud click.
The sounds from above seem to be concentrating more on the stone by the entrance.
"Let's get moving, they sound like they may find the way down here soon."
After a grunt of effort Dash sighs in relief and repacks his things. Picking up his sword again he pushes the door open and walks through.
A 50 foot hallway stretches before you then turns to the left.
The walls to both sides have an odd diamond pattern with holes in the center.
Perception checks all around.
You notice that some of the holes have little wooden points in them.
After the banging up above Hemlock has decided to focus on the job at hand,specifically surviving, time enough later for thoughts of wings and flying and horrible horrible revenge for people who call him 'Hemmy'.
He is on HIGH alert!
"I think this corridor might be trapped. I see little wooden points in some the wholes. They might lead to pointy death" He says with a grin, able to make light in even this situation.
"If we could bypass them without springing them, it would certainly slow down any pursuers. Can we do that Dash?"
"I might be able to, but we have to find the trigger first before I can figure out how to get around it. Look for anything that could trigger a hidden mechanism, probably a pressure plate or a trip wire."
After the banging up above Hemlock has decided to focus on the job at hand,specifically surviving, time enough later for thoughts of wings and flying and horrible horrible revenge for people who call him 'Hemmy'.
He is on HIGH alert!
You think you notice a worn line of stone up ahead. It's hard to be sure, but you'd guess it's a pit trap with it's edges eroded by time.
"I might be able to, but we have to find the trigger first before I can figure out how to get around it. Look for anything that could trigger a hidden mechanism, probably a pressure plate or a trip wire."
You may. WIth a +2 bonus.
1d20 + 9
Read Hemlock's spoiler
Tapping Dash on the shoulder, Hemlock points to the edge of the floor, "That stone? It looks worn, like it's fallen away before. Doesn't it? I'm no good with traps so I don't know for certain but that looks like it's supposed to collapse or something.
"That being said, I can't say THIS way is any more hospitable that before, spiked wooden stakes, collapsing floors. Whoever wanted us out here better offer a damn good explanation!"
You hear the stone shifting.
"I think you're right Hemlock. Hmmm, I'll be right back." Dash starts walking forward very gingerly, keeping his eyes peeled for any sort of trigger for (what is presumably) the dart trap. Assuming he doesn't set off any traps he will continue up to the pit to examine it.
"Hurry up, those things could find their way down here any minute."
"I think you're right Hemlock. Hmmm, I'll be right back." Dash starts walking forward very gingerly, keeping his eyes peeled for any sort of trigger for (what is presumably) the dart trap. Assuming he doesn't set off any traps he will continue up to the pit to examine it.
SInce it was pointed out your trained eyes notice a few places that might set off the traps. It's hard to say which ones are to which traps. You suspect that the pit trap is pressure sensitive. If you're careful you can probably make it around the traps.
"Hurry up, those things could find their way down here any minute."
It's a wooden door with no locks. There's no debris down here to speak of. However, If you've got something in your pack or a creative idea i'm open to hearing it.
Rummages around in his pack muttering to himself,"If I had known I was going to need sovreign glue I would have made some but one doesnt normally find themselves underground trapped between death traps and a ghoulish horde and needing to seal a door shut... Hemlock pulls out vial after vial and finally stops exasperated, "Short of using my copy of Muldoon's 'Journey into the Unknown' to try and stopper the door, I have nothing which might keep either that door or that stone hatch from opening. So unless someone has something else, it looks like we will have to fight until Dash gets those traps disabled."
Holding his elixir of fire breathing out, "On the bright side, at least we can't be surrounded by these things down here."
Alabaster gains the stoic ice cold exterior he usually exudes when he is under stress. "If you can jump from place to place to get past the traps, do it. The next person can step where you step. Circe can fly through. If we can do it fast enough, we can have them spring the traps and slow them down. It is either that or we fight the horde here. Just standing and talking is no good."
With that Al steps the the rear of the group and casts Shield on himself, but keeps an eye over his shoulder for how to see what the rest of the group does.
"Good idea, why waste time disabling the traps if we can just avoid the triggers."
Circe will cast fly on herself and flit to the end of hall as quickly as she can.
Circe makes it about half way. Then she hears a noise and "jumps" (though still flying). For a moment she thought she set off a trap. Nothing flies at her from the walls. The relief she feels is fleeting as she realizes the sound, though not a trap, is the stone cap shifting violently. Eyes wide she quickly finishes her flight at the bend in the tunnel. It continues on into darkness.
Everyone else hears the loud stone shifting also.
Dash will try to find a path past the poker traps that his comrades can follow. Once he gets to the pit trap he will attempt to disable it, leaving the mechanism intact for pursuers to trigger if at all possible.
Hemlock stands behind Al,"I have your back Alabaster. The two of us should give these ghouls some pause. Just think if we kill enough, well kill enough again, their bodies will choke the hallway."
"Oh good idea with the Shielding magics, think I'll do it too. Hemlock will drop to the ground behind Al and quickly whips up a Shielding elixir, clay pestles and jars clinking quickly.
You're not sure where the mechanism is located to disarm. However, you do think you can figure out where to step to bypass the trap. I'll need an acrobatics roll from Dash.
Everyone else can follow behind dash with an acrobatics roll also. Those following get a +2 on their rolls because they're mimicking Dash's steps.
Aky will attempt to follow Dash, begin careful not to trigger any of the traps.
1d20 + 8
Dash calmly walks through the cobblestones carefully stepping and pivoting like a ballerina with perfect balance. He is beauty and grace. Every movement is picture perfect.
...
Following behind Aky succeeds too, but he's a bit awkward about it.
I forgot to mention there is a narrow ledge to one side of the trap door that you're using to get past. It's maybe 5'' wide, but there are carefully concealed handholds to assist. Dash finds and points them out seemingly effortlessly.
"Oh well now that you point them out, I can see them. Thanks Dash!"
Hemlock will then cross using the hand holds as best he can to cross.
Hemmick is awkward as hell. he nearly falls face first onto the middle of the trap door. At the VERY last moment he reaches out for one of the concealed handholds and just barely pulls himself back to the wall. He slammed himself against it so hard something cracks and a green luminescent liquid seeps out from one of his pockets and drips down a wall. The glow fades after a moment.
Al goes last, wondering if it really was a good idea. But he is committed now. Either step through the traps or face a rampaging horde of zombies by himself. At the last second, he shut the door behind him, and awkwardly moved forward, but after the distraction, things did not look promising.
Hemlock sniffs for a bit then sadly,"Awww...that was my vial of ectoplas....oh crap, I don't think Al is going to make it across!"
Hemlock will reach out his hands to catch Alabaster and help him across if possible.
Al goes last, wondering if it really was a good idea. But he is committed now. Either step through the traps or face a rampaging horde of zombies by himself. At the last second, he shut the door behind him, and awkwardly moved forward, but after the distraction, things did not look promising.
Al makes it safely enough at first, but he steps in the wrong place at the last moment. One of the wooden spikes flies out of the wall.
Rolling for Al
Reflex
Al twists to avoid being struck but it still jams into his shoulder at the last moment. damage. With the aid of Hemlock, he yanks himself free as he rolls past the end of the trap door to join the others.
Al, You feel slightly light headed, but it doesn't significantly impair you.
There's a sliver of wood (easily removed) in the wound. It has an odd coloring to it. You've seen similar discoloration on poisoned tipped arrows and the like.
Read the previous spoiler Plus:
You think it's a neurological poison that's been dried for many years.
Circe holds he breath as the men come down the hallway, tense with worry about them setting off any traps.
When one of the wooden spikes shoots out of the wall, she yells out. "Al!" As he rolls to the end, Circe rushes over his side and looks at his wound before letting him get up. Using her long nails, Circe easily pulls out the splinter and looks over the wound to satisfy herself that he isn't going to bleed to death or anything.
Relieved he isn't going to die just yet, Circe leans over Al and hugs him tightly before helping him up to his feet. "I swear I don't know which one of you guys is going to give me a heart-attack first. You all keep trying to scare the s@~+ out of me one way or another."
Aky checks the wound as well since he's had some training in tending the injured
"You're lucky Al, that dart had been poisoned, but its long since dried out." He pauses, thinking.
"So a former Church of Sarenrae has not only a secret door, but a long, trapped hallway, with poisoned darts. Definitely not normal. The Dawnflower may have a martial streak, and be a bit unyielding in her crusades, but she would never approve of the use of poison."
Al was a little startled at Circe's exclamation of his name, but then he noticed that he had been stuck with something. He was kind of glad he did get hit with something, because otherwise, that was quite the ungraceful fall for very little reason. Worry not, it was just a little scratch, I should be fine in the morning." He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat after she helped him up.
He turned to the alchemist next. "Thank you for the extra hand, Hemlock. This armor of mine was not made for jumping through phalanxes." He gave his chainmail a bit of a tug.
"Well, enough pleasantries lady and gentlemen, we should continue to make ourselves distant. I am ready when you are Dash." He turned to Aky, smirking at the pun he was about to say. "It seems the corruption here ran deep."
You all hear the reverberating sound of the stone falling inward. You hear the horde swarming down. The wooden door is hit hard and many times. It explodes off it's hinges and lands flat on the floor. The swarm rolls over it.
Initiative and actions please. You have two rounds from when you hear them and they break the door.
"You are welcome and yes, let's head down the hall. I don't want to hang around here any longer waiting to be eaten."
Hemlock thinks to himself, "When we can just as easily get eaten by something completely new and unique further down."
"So Sarenrae wouldn't approve of poison, and we have poisoned sticks, and secret door under the altar, I'd almost say we may be in luck in that someone down here might just have been holding up from those above us. But then again, if the poison was from long ago, we may not find anyone down here alive."
Hemlock will keep a watchful eye ahead.
Until he hearsthe sound of the bursting door and the horde of undead." Dead gods...we are in for it now."
As soon as she first hears the swarm, Circe says, "Run!" and takes off down the tunnel, hoping to find a door out or at least a door that can be barricaded by them from the other side.
Al's face lost its humor, and he regained his cool composure. "Keep moving everyone. Those traps will only slow them down for a few seconds, if that. Prepare if you must, but keep moving on."
Pressing on:
The horde swarms down the corridor. They're pressing against the side walls and scrambling over each other. You can see long canines in their mouths. Long black claws at the end of their hands dig into the stone as they scramble.
Everyone tenses and prepares for a fight. As the horde gets about 30 feet from you the floor falls out from under them even as several are impaled by the wooden spears. As your eyes instinctively follow the falling bodies you see that the pit is quite deep (maybe 100 feet) and there are metal spikes at the bottom. Several are impaled. Much of the horde gets pushed in as those behind push forward as they cannot see the pit. Eventually the horde slows and stands on the opposite side of the pit salivating at you. Red eyes burning, fangs visible in snarling mouths.
One of the horde gets brave and attempts to jump the pit. From it's dress you suspect it used to be a peasant woman. She nearly makes it to the opposite side, but falls a few inches short. She clings to the wall for a moment (oddly) and attempts to scramble up with her wicked claws. She looses her grip and falls backward onto a large metal spike with others of her kind writhing below.
One of the impaled seems to go comatose. You notice that the spears is gone through it's heart.
"Let's hurry up and get out of here before they find a way to cross." Circe heads onward down the tunnel...