A thick bank of fog suddenly appears int he trees and plants, enveloping both Sevak and Hyo Soon. The bandit pauses and then, not quite surprised but wary, takes a step back.
"I think it is that druid playing tricks again." he says roughly. Shaking his head he stomps back up the trail, moving behind some fallen stones.
Sevak holds still for a few more moments, listening for more footprints. There is a druid here? Sevak is not certain whether or not he wants to meet him. On the one hand, it would be good to speak with another who cares for wood and beast as he does. On the other... what would he think of Sevak's tarnished past?
Going more off of memory than what he can see in the fog, Sevak gestures for Hyo Soon to follow and then slowly starts making his way into the city, aiming to stay as far away from where the bandits are as possible while doing so.
Together they wander deeper into the ruined city. Around them ghostly visions of buildings rise, cloaked in plants. Sometimes their original purpose can be made out, a bank or a temple but most times they are merely a few crumbling walls. The streets are a network of trees and tall plants, all vibrantly alive. Birds flock here and there, scattering to the sky as they walk. Frogs and lizards scurry away as Sevak crosses logs and old stone gutters.
They consult the map and finally see their destination, a large mostly intact stone dome, in the middle of an empty square, now dotted with trees. But the plants seem thinner here, and the trees smaller. Vast areas of stone are bare and gray.
Sevak comes to a stop, looking around warily. "I like not the lack of vegetation here," he whispers to Hyo Soon. "Perhaps you might search for magical reasons, while I look for physical dangers?"
He looks over the area carefully, wary of traps or foes.
Sevak scans the area from the edge of the clearing, looking for traps, natural dangers or anything else. It is hard to see anything from this distance but he does see small wooden sign thrown up nearbye, written in red paint. It reads, 'Danger[/i] with a skull and cross bones, standard Tian Xia symbols for danger. It looks rather new.
Hyo Soon scans the area, looking intent. Finally she says, [b]"There is some old, powerful magic near that vault but it is faint, probably deep inside. I detect nothing outside." she sounds excited however, not worried, 'Imagine what might be in there. I wonder if it is unspoiled! A Lung Wa era treasure vault!"
"Someone has gone through the trouble of marking it as dangerous," Sevak states, pointing out the sign. "I would assume that means there are still functional traps or guardians. We must be wary."
Sevak tries to gauge where the least exposed approach to the structure is, then hurries across, waving for Hyo Soon to follow.
Hyo Soon seems barely to hear as she goes on, "Think of it! We will be the first souls in a hundred years to see a intact Lung Wa building. Who knows what we may find...jewels, magical items, maybe even books! According to my professors..." She keeps up a running commentary even as they dart across the exposed space towards the vault.
The domed building is in better shape then most around them, still one solid shape of stone. There is a gaping front entrance, draped with thick vines however, which stands open. The metal grate that once covered the entrance has been twisted and broken open, now covered with rust.
Then, to his surprise, Sevak sees another sign, much, much older, engraved on a patch of moss covered stone. It is in Druidic and it says, Be Warned. Danger Lurks within.
Sevak stops again. "Another warning," he comments. "I had best ward myself before we proceed."
He reaches inward again and calls up his protective spell. That done, he says, "We should be watchful for both physical and magical traps and other dangers as we proceed."
Then he continues, walking slowly, looking at floor, walls, and ceiling for signs of the danger warned of.
Hyo soon nods, but still seems more excited then scared. They pass into the grand entrance, which looks like it was once a very fine place, with sweeping pillars and many low steps.
They step past these vines and are soon at the entrance of a vast round room, spreading out ahead of them. The huge stone dome rises above them, well over two hundred feet above. It looks like it was once painted but the murals are long faded and mildewed now, just faint echoes.
"Ooh, Lung Wa paintings..." Hyo Soon breathes looking up.
In the center of the room, lit by a few cunningly cut window spotlights, is a vast statue of a man, bearded and crowned, sitting on a vast throne. it is made of bronze, which has dimmed with age to a flaky brown. His huge hands grasp a specter across his knees, capped with jewels. His eyes are glowing red rubies nestled deep under bushy brows.
'Emperor Min-Lain-shu!" Hyo Soon says excitedly, "He was one of the Golden Emperors. Often connected with banks and treasure."
The vast floor is made of a checkboard pattern of white and black, much stained and pitted with age. Here and there across the floor are raised plinths that might once have held statues but are blank now. The closest is ten feet away, but they are scattered in irregular patterns.
Across the room, around the massive statue, are doors. Instead of doors however, they have bulky humanoid shapes in front of them. Golems. Above the doors, in a carved pattern that sweeps around half the domed room, is a vast set-piece of men and women harvesting grain, paying taxes, loading ships and other commercial goods.
'Original Lung Wa friezes!" Hyo Soon gasps and takes half a step forward.
Then she (and Sevak) sees the bodies. Some are scattered across the checkerboard floor, others are piled near the base of the huge statue, while others are huddled near the distant golems. Most are nothing more then skeletons, dry bones, but a few look slightly fresher, with stirps of old dried flesh still stuck to them, or the glint or steel tools untarnished by time.
"It would seem we are not the first that sought entrance here," Sevak notes, not bothered by the sight of death. "Why the others died with the death of the first so obvious, though, is a question. Certainly I would not want to approach those there if they are golems."
He considers the scene a moment longer then adds, "There must be a proper way to approach this place. Might anything here suggest a code phrase? Perhaps a proper prayer must be offered to the Emperor's statue?"
Sevak looks around, searching for patterns to the dead, or the signs of hidden pressure plates.
Hyo Soon doesn't say anything, obviously still horrified by the dead bodies. "Should...should we do something...bury them?" she whispers in his ear.
Sevak scans the dead and notes they died on squares of both colors, black and white. At this distant and their decay, he doesn't see any obvious signs of death.
He looks closer at the squares and notes something around the black tiles. He isn't sure, it doesn't exactly look like a pressure plate, but there is something not quite right.
"First we must avoid dying ourselves. Once we have discovered the secret to that, we might think of doing something for them--though I suspect we shall have to wait until after the bandits are dealt with, lest they kill us instead."
Sevak frowns at the black tiles nearby. "There is something... odd, about the black tiles. I am not certain what it is, however."
Sevak notes that the carvings seem to concentrate above each door, not randomly flowing. Otherwise he can see little.
Hyo Soon speaks up, tearing her eyes away from a corpse, "Can..Can I help?"
Sevak nods. It occurs to him that Hyo Soon may well have never seen a humanoid corpse before. He hesitates a moment, wanting to help her somehow, but can't think of anything to say.
"I am sorry I cannot comfort you," he says, softly.
Then more loudly he says, "Yes. There must be a safe path through here, but it seems obvious that it is not easy to find. The black tiles seem to be part of it--perhaps they have to be stepped on in a certain pattern? The carvings might have clues. They seem associated with the doors. Perhaps each door has a pattern of steps one must walk to reach it safely, hinted at by the carving? But I know nothing of old nations of humans, nor their carvings."
Hyo Soon ponders this, seeming to take refuge in thought, to ignore the world around her. "Well, there would have been no traps originally. This was a popular place, with many hundreds coming and going, as well as an outpost of Imperial power. It would have been shown off, not protected by elaborate traps. If you think that is what is there, it has been added since." The wizard says.
"True..." Sevak replies, frowning. "Perhaps you might search for magical auras? Enchantment would require less reconstruction, I would think."
Hyo Soon carefully and quietly scans the area, obviously trying to avoid staring at the corpses littered about. Finally she says, "I don't detect much. There are some lingering auras around the statues and doors, which is not surprising. The statue of the Emperor also seems to have a Abjuration aura around it." She shrugs, "But the floors does not seem magical."
"The statue is likely a trap for the greedy," Sevak notes. "We should stay well away from it."
He pauses for a long moment. "I suppose there is nothing for it but to try. These lingering auras--are they indicative of past magic that has faded beyond the point of danger? If so, perhaps I can approach one of the doors while you stay back. I will step on only the white tiles, I think."
Hyo Soon nods, a bit fretfully then adds, in a bit of a rush, 'Do be careful. I don't like the feeling of this place..."
"I will be," Sevak replies. "Perhaps you might watch for changes in the magical auras as I move?"
Sevak picks a door (preferably one without statues), and slowly starts making his way toward it, staying on the white tiles, testing each step before he fully puts his weight on it, senses sharp for anything odd.
Sevak steps carefully onto a white square. Nothing happens and it seems sturdy and normal under his feet. Again he walks forward at a diagonal pattern, avoiding the black tiles.
With reflex that would make Paq proud, Sevak recoils as the white step moves under his foot. Returning to his 'safe' white square, he notes the one he just tried to step on is cleverly rigged to act as a trap, turning and pitching anyone who stands on it into a black pit. He hears a ...bubbling, gurgling sound before the white tile spins closed.
Sevak holds still for a moment, trying to place what that sound could mean... and listening to see if he can still hear it.
"It seems that there are, indeed, traps here," Sevak shouts back to Hyo Soon (unless he's still close and doesn't need to shout?). "Though... something is odd about it."
Carefully he looks for a safer path forward.
Sevak takes his spear out and starts tapping its butt on the other white tiles, searching for one that seems stable. If nothing sounds odd, he leans on the spear a bit, trying to test the tile without stepping on it.
After poking with his spear he finds that on alternating rows white and then black become dangerous. However, using his spear, he is able to avoid further trouble and even, if he wanted to, indicated Hyo Soon where to step.
Sevak relays the information on which rows are safe to Hyo Soon, and then says, "I think I will approach a door. If nothing happens, then I will come back and show you the path I walked."
Assuming she has no objections, Sevak picks the door furthest from the Emperor's statue and heads toward it, still warily testing tiles with his spear before stepping on them.
Sevak makes his way safely across the trapped tiles, and reaches one of the doors. The statue guarding it is large, at least thrice the size of a man. It is clearly a solider, squatting low in front of the entrance, which seems to lack any other door. A sword is sheathed at his stony belt, and two rocky fists raised in warning.
Above is carved a bull, being led to slaughter, surrounded by happy, prosperous citizens.
Near one foot of the statue is a crumbled and smashed looking corpse, and judging by the tangle of rotting beard, a dwarf. It looks quite old, more leather and metal then corpse.
Above it, just above Sevak's eye level is a word, scrawled into the old stone wall.
Remove thyself. It looks hastily dug into the rock with a blunt tool.
Sevak considers the scene nervously. He does not think much of his chances were the statue to animate. The words, however, draw his attention. It seems unlikely that someone would scrawl that while being pummeled to death by a golem... indeed, it would probably be impossible to.
So who had carved it, and why? As Hyo Soon had suggested, this place should not have been trapped while in use... what had happened since?
Sevak debates for a moment, before deciding to investigate the other doors first for more clues. He carefully makes his way over to the next door.
Using his staff and feeling the now distant eyes of Hyo Soon on him, he makes his way to the next door. The friezes continues with him, showing images of peasants milling wheat, digging wells and other productive activity. Above the door is a goose being plucked for feathers by an old maid.
The forbidding statue is much the same except it has a mace in one hand, and a stone visor over its face. There are no bodies here or scrawled words.
Sevak notes the differences, then makes his way to the last door. (He'll go back to Hyo Soon when he's done examining the last door)
Sevak makes his slow way and finds a slightly different situation here. Another golem like statue is here, armed with spear and shield, but the doorway beyond is completely blocked by cracked and fallen rubble. Event he carving above, of a pig being skinned by a portly shopkeep, is cracked and fragile looking.
All of the doors have images of animals being slaughtered over them, Sevak mentally notes. Perhaps...
He looks over the carvings, looking for something like an animal being led to pasture or a stable or somewhere else safe.
Sevak sees any number of pastures, barns and sheds, all with animals doing productive things but nothing sticks out about them. Wealth and production seem to be the theme, which makes sense considering this was sort of like a bank.
Cautiously Sevak makes his way back to Hyo Soon and shares what he has seen.
"I like not the look of the statues," he says after he finishes. "The central one has no corpse in front of it, at least. Perhaps we might try that one? Though I would have you examine it first. Perhaps, if its aura has grown so weak, it will no longer animate."
Sevak has little hope that this is true.
Hyo Soon looks doubtful and says, "It has only been a century. Magic used for golems and such constructs is usually quite durable."
Carefully she follows the ex-druid back across the tiles, avoiding any danger. Standing well back she scans the area thoroughly before saying, "I believe it is still operational." her voice is not more then a whisper. "I'd guess there is a password or some phrase to open it. But speak quietly, a wrong word probably sets it off in an aggressive manner. This was a bank after all."
She looks around at the round room, her face a mix of fear, apprehension and wonder.
"And so we are left with the question of what the password would be," Sevak whispers back. "But it may well be that the keepers took that secret with them to the grave, unless you see something that might provide a clue. Are there ways to fool a construct such as this?"
'Fool them?" Hyo Soon sounds intrigued, "But how? What else can you do other then speak the password or not? Do you mean a distraction?"
"I doubt the password was anything arcane. Thee were more for show I'd imagine. The actual vaults would be beyond them. This was more to demonstrate Imperial power."
"Perhaps they could be tricked into some of the pits once active? If they were added later it might be possible. Still, I would not rely on it."
Sevak looks over the room for a little while in silence. "Was there a common prayer or phrase associated with Emperor Min-Lain-shu? Or perhaps a prayer for wealth or prosperity? Such things would fit with this place."
Hyo Soon frowns, "I doubt that is it. It would be a simple phrase, to be used daily. Probably something as basic as 'Move' or 'Stand aside'. Just something for an Imperial clerk to shout and watch the guests ooh and ahh as the golem leaps aside."
She spreads her hands, 'But as you said, you may be right. It very well may have gone to the grave with them, as so many things did."
Sevak frowns as a thought occurs to him. "That phrase written on the wall... 'remove thyself'? That would fit, yes?"
Hyo Soon nods, "Yes, it would. It seems bit...simple for it to be carved on the wall though. Convenient?" The wizard looks around, "Do you have any other ideas?"
"No," Sevak admits.
'Well that isn't very helpful." Hyo Soon says a bit tartly and looks around.
'I do doubt the carvings are by chance though. The bits right about the golems seem larger and focused. It might not be the password but related, somehow? Makes sense, if you ask me."
Sevak nods slightly, looking back up at the carving. "I had wondered about that... each one has an animal being slaughtered in some fashion, and they have themes of prosperity, wealth, and productivity... but which part is the password? The concepts? The animals? The activities? There are too many possibilities, and the consequences of a mistake seem... severe."
Still, he examines the carvings more closely, wondering if something will stand out. Perhaps one element seems more prominant than the others--a reminder to the clerks of some sort?
The wizard grimaces, 'I hadn't thought of that. Punishment."
She turns her gaze to the statues, "Do you think you could simply destroy one? It is standing still after all."
"I doubt it would remain still for long if I tried," Sevak replies, wryly. "And I do not have good tools or weapons for breaking stone. Blades and spears would do little to them. Hence why I would think it better to lure one out to the floor and try to trick it into a pit if it comes to battle."
He pauses, then asks, "If it does come to battle, what magic do you have to aid us?"