"To freedom? You know the way better than those of us here, at least for now. You mentioned a secret door beneath a set of stairs? Why don't you open the door, show us the way?" Soren feigns a warmth to her voice, something that none of you have heard in her cadence thus far. "Don't worry young Timeon, we'll be sure to protect you."
Timeon nods at Soren's statement. "Fine then, I shall lead us all to safety".
Timeon removes the bar securing the door. It reveals another passageway north that runs 70' feet again equipped with torches every 20' alternating on each side.
The hallway turns east and again your group faces another door and another inscription:
The chosen are revealed by their might. The weak deserve no sympathy.
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"Alas, more riddles," Vaundour said, an exaggerated sigh leaving his lips. "How I wish this dastardly fiend of Machiavellian mindset could be more straight forward. Oh how he torments both body and mind in his foul dungeon!" With his flair for the dramatic satisfied for the moment, he knealt down by the door to examine it.
"That's what this place is supposed t' do. You don't like it, you can always stay here. You make it out, you'll be stronger for the trial." The ogre rumbled, half amused, half exasperated.
"You want t' be coddled, or you want t' be better?"
"An' what the feck's a maker-violin?"
When Timeon isn't looking, Nate gives Grumblejack a scathing look that reminds him of Aurex's fiery gaze. Mention the trial? Really?
The ogre stared back, completely unapologetic, bored challenge in his eyes.
Timeon swings the door open. Similar to to other rooms, this one is lit by a single lantern in the middle of the 30' by 30' room. Unlike the other rooms, the challenge is quite clear as three metal cobras advance towards you ready to attack!
Nathaniel
Grumblejack
Vaundor
Shalewigg
Soren
Timeon
3 Cobras
:
Lothryin, Nathaniel, Shalewigg, Soren, Timeon
3 Cobras
Grumblejack, Vaundour.
Timeon rushes forward his rage coming to the surface as he attack the cobra farthest to the left.
Dagger Attack
Damage
The Cobra easily evades the squire's clumsy attack.
Nate cocks his head when he sees the snakes. Well, hell's agents must be strong. Nate starts singing in a low voice, a ballad of gloom.
Gathering power, Lothyrin unleashes a gout of flame upon the cobras.
Soren pulls back the bolt on her firearm, but in the commotion her shot is not so well-lined up as she might like. Still, she fires down range at the large metal snakes moving towards the party. She quickly pulls an alchemical cartridge from her pack, already loading the musket anew before the beasts can make their move.
Shalewigg places a hand on Grumbles arm, "Do be a dear and destroy these impediments to our progress would you?"
She casts a spell and a protective force encases her.
Soren's shot misses one of the Cobras just after Lothryin's fire washes over them. The fire seems to have had an effect but the creatures do not show it as they surge forward to attack.
Cobra 1 Attack Timeon - Damage Bite , Cobra 2 Attack Lothryin - Damage Bite , Cobra 3 Attack Grumble - Damage Bite .
The first Cobra lashes out at Timeon, the second Lothryin, and the third Grumble.
Despite their quickness, the Cobras are unable to connect with their targets.
.
Grumble grinned and brought the hammer down on a metal snake.
Grumble smashes the snake in front of him in the same way a child would its least favorite toy.
Seeing the thing shattered into pieces, Vaundour ever the opportunist, strikes at the snake that attacked Timeon. His swordcane severs the head from the neck and it too falls to the floor deactivated.
Lothryin, Nathaniel, Shalewigg, Soren, Timeon
1 Cobra
Grumblejack, Vaundour.
Timeon steps forward to attack the last Cobra with the greataxe.
Greataxe attack
Damage
Yet again, the squire squanders an opportunity to impress his new "companions".
Nate pulls back on his bow and fires an arrow at the mithril cobra.
Soren, disgruntled by her missed shot, takes a moment to line up her musket again, this time taking a moment longer to make sure her shot is perfect before she fires. She pulls the trigger, and moments later the acrid smell of gunpowder fills the air as she fires for one of the metal beast's heads.
Shalewigg sighs as she sees the last of the Cobras sway as if ready to drop from Soren's well placed shot. Drawing her scimitar she slices downwards at it.
Scimitar Attack
Scimitar Damage
But her attack misses nearly as badly as Nathaniel's does.
Despite the danger before him, Lothryin holds, trusting his companions to finish the mechanical beast off.
The Cobra lashes out at Lothryin!
The creatures fangs strike home.
The half-drow's second attack is not as accurate as his first and his blade slides off of the Cobra's metallic hide without so much as a scratch.
Grumblejack whipped around at the thundercrack that went off behind him when Soren took her shot. He was momentarily startled, but then took a deep whiff of the gunpowder. Surely there couldn't be a better smell in the whole world? It was like brimstone, and charcoal, and sugar, and... power.
Who was this woman?
She coursed with the blood of hell, favored of Asmodeus, and armed with such a loud, angry, wonderful weapon.
He grinned. She was sent by the Prince of Nessus, clearly. He didn't know if she was to be a trial, or a reward. Either way, he was happy.
He turned and brough his hammer down on the last of the metal snakes.
Grumblejack's strike is even louder than Soren's shot. The strike smashes the cobra spraying parts of its across the room. The shattered bodies begin to leak a fluid.
Lothryin's paralysis soon wears off.
With the danger the cobras represent finished, the group is able to get a better look at them. Timeon kneels down, "What are these things made of?"
"Ooh, be quick! We could harvest some of that poison!"
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Pulling a couple of vials from his alchemy kit, he quickly filled them up and put them back into his bag. 'Never know when that'll be useful,' he thought to himself. And while the metal of the snakes caught his attention, he just shrugged and stood up. "Well, now that that particular bit of excitement is over, what say we press on to finish this fiendish dungeon?"
Nathaniel dips an arrow into the cobra but scrapes his hand in so doing and gets poison in the wound, for a few moments he is paralyzed watching as Vaundour uses a vial to safely collect poison from a second Cobra.
Soon enough the paralysis wears off. There is one left to try and salvage.
Timeon shakes his head, "My friends, we should not be using poison against our enemies it is not the right ting to do".
Before you is yet another door to the south, this time it is not barred in any way. You see no other doors in this chamber but the one you came through.
Nate smiles at Timeon as the paralysis wears off. "But it is not a violent poison, it only temporarily incapacitates! In fact I think that might have helped clear my system a little."
This time Nathaniel is more careful around the wreckage of the Cobras and manages to soak three arrows in the poison.
Nate manages to stave off the poison this time and happily stores the arrows. "Trust me Timeon, it shall only be used against the more dire foes."
Timeon frowns but says nothing further, "Shall we move on?"
The ogre rolled his eyes and trailed after the rest of the group.
Shalewigg sends her failiar under the door again to check what is on the otehr side. It returns quickly and she relays its ipressions to the group.
"Yet another hallway, Timeon, our fearless new friend, lead the way!?" she strains a smile at him.
Timeon grins back oblivious to her malicious intent. He opens the door and heads down yet another dimly lit hall which leads to yet another door with yet another inscription:
“Suffer not the fool. Stupidity is our faith’s cardinal sin.”
Oh, are we supposed to kill Timeon now? Nate smiles at the thought, but doubts that what it actually is. "Onwards Timeon, we have your back." He says, being honest for once.
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'Finally, something I whole-heartedly agree with,' Vaundour thought as he read the sign. 'Too bad the Mitrans are nothing if not stupidly foolish.' Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, he stole a glance at the young boy and gripped his swordcane tightly. 'Tis a pity he won't live to see home again. Ah, well, live for the moment and all that.'
"Onwards and upwards, as the explorer says," he said as he turned fully to Timeon. "Care to do the honors, my new friend?"
Timeon opens the door. The room, yet another square chamber leading you all to believe the architect clearly had little imagination, contains a podium at its center with a single oil lantern hanging above.
Something on the podium gleams in the light, could this be the item you seek?
There is also a stairway leading up to the east.
Vaundour arrives at the podium without incident. As he reaches the podium he sees that the item is indeed what the group is looking for a pendant of silver in the shape of a Dragon with sapphire eyes.
Timeon steps into the room and looks at the staircase, "Never mind that Vaundour, the way out looms before us!"
The ogre followed, glancing only once at the jeweled pendant on the podium.
"Kid's right. We ain't here for that."
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Grumblejack rumbled a laugh and counted in his head from the moment the necklace was grabbed.
More'n-two, two, one...
Vaundour snatches the pendant off of the podium and to the disappointment of the half ogre, nothing happens.
Timeon shakes his head at the half drow, "The way out looms before us and you stop for trinkets! There is noting worth more than our lives. Come we must be cautious!"
The squire hits the stairs at a jog battleaxe held out before him. As his foot hits the second step an audible click is followed by a large rumble as a giant spiked ball comes tumbling down the stairs!