Seeing her companions are free, she turns towards the cell. A gentle peck from her spiritual guide tells her she's doing the right thing.
Charging into the cell, she tries to slice the beast in two.
Following everyone into the cell. Lifting her weapon and slamming it down.
As everyone enters the cell, Inam, Ibinu, and Kallik see the same gruesome scene that Bian saw a few moments ago: piles of stripped bones, strewn haphazardly on the floor against the back wall.
The thing seems distracted as it flows off the old ifrit's bones, slowly congealing onto an adjacent sylphan skeleton. The frail bones shift, dancing a dry little dance as the liquid dark inches its way on to them.
All four elen strike the monstrosity without hesitation. A split-second before all your weapons crash down, a pitiful sylph woman's face rises out of the black muck, screaming, "SON!"
The momentum of the heavy steel carries the attacks forward. The blows blend into one another - squish as metal cuts meat; clang as steel meets stone; sizzle as flame burns filth.
Silence.
Nudging the bones with the blade of her pole arm. "What was that thing?"
Ibinu cleans his sword while listening to the others talk.
Looking around the cell at the destruction caused by the creature, Inam spits. "Bloody beasts need to be wiped out! What difference does it make what it was? It was one of the blasted spawns!"
Turning sharply to Bian, she asks "You've been given a proper tour down here, right? Does this dungeon continue on? If so, please show us so we me give it a righteous cleaning."
Bian's attention suddenly snaps to Inam. She shakes her head as if to clear it. "Does it continue. Right. We're actually at the end of the first level - the door there leads down to the second floor."
The steel door she indicates appears to be locked tight, with no signs of forced entry. The triangle of Volcano, done with inset garnet on the door, glares at all of you.
Her gaze goes distance again as she looks back into the cell. "There's something off about these bones, but I just can't place it. Something besides being next to a darkspawn abomination, I mean."
Ibinu continues to observe but chooses to not participate in the conversation.
"He sent us down here with no keys so there is no reason for him to get enraged. Does anyone have skills with opening a door without a key?" Looking back and waiting for a response.
Sighing and stepping up to the door, "Help me out then."
The door does not budge. The red triangle in the door glows an angry crimson, and a small jet of flame bursts from it, burning Kallik's hands.
Inspecting the rune, and it's reaction to being forced, she looks back at Ibinu.
Hmm...he did something quite amazing earlier with his blood...
"Well, McStonington, that didn't seem to work out too well...mind if I try something?" She asks with a smirk.
The sylph proceeds to step forward and kneel in front of the door. She lifts Etrah off her shoulder and sets the bird down in front of the door. The pair proceed to double over, almost face first on the grimy floor.
"Volcano, though I am a lowly sylph, you saw need for my service. So much so, you had your herald spewed from my forge. You, in your omniscience have sent us on this quest. Please, allow us passage. This door can not be permitted to be the reason we fail!". Her prayer starting as a low mumble, steadily increases in volume.
Immediately after she finishes her litany, she leaps to her feat and pricks her thumb on the tip of her sword. Reaching for the rune, she draws a symbol in her own blood over it.
Growling at moving to rush the door again then Iman speaks up. Twisting around to stare at her with wide eyes. Are all sylph like this? Stepping back and gesturing towards the door, "Have at it."
Stepping back and rubbing her hands together while watching Iman try to work magic with her blood.
For several seconds, nothing seems to happen. Suddenly, the gleaming garnet in the door glows even more brightly than before, bathing Inam's face and Etrah's feathers in a rosy red light. Just as quickly, the garnet dims. Right before it goes out completely, the forbidding steel door opens a crack, silent on well-oiled hinges.
calling over his shoulder, ibinu moves to force the door open further. kallik lets open this barricade before something else goes haywire. With that. Ibinu grabs the edge and begins to pull on the door.
The sharply-carved obsidian staircase beckons you downward.
Looking down the stairwell, Inam pauses a moment. Eyeing the open gashes across her torso and shoulder, she sighs.
"Bolcán, athnuachan mo fuinneamh má fheiceann tú oiriúnach."
Rubbing her hands together, she reaches out and touches the larger of the wounds. A blinding bright light seems to shoot down from the ceiling and swirl around her as the wound begins to mend.
"Now that's a little better. Thanks Volcano!."
Waving forward, "I need distance to fight so someone else if going ahead of me." Flexing her grip on her weapon with a flinch before looking over at Inam, "I do not like asking you to over strain yourself but could you do the same for me?"
Turning to Kallik, she nods. "I''ll certainly give it a go. Not sure I quite have this thing down yet, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
Reaching out, she gingerly places a hand on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she whispers "Bolcán an Rock riachtanais do chabhair ró-"
Waiting a moment, she opens one eye and looks around as nothing happens. Smiling sheepishly she tries again. "Bolcán, le do thoil bheith linn san am an ghátair"
Still nothing happens. Looking over to Etrah, the bird simply shrugs. "Sorry...guess I don't quite have it mastered." she mumbles to her friend.
Waving a hand in dismissal of the idea, "It is not an issue. Thank you for trying."
Glancing over at Bian, "That spear is better equipt to hurt those darkspawn but I understand. We have have to speak to So Khong about getting you your own weapon blessed when we are done here. I will go third."
Looking over at Inam and Ibinu, "You to figure out who is first."
About halfway down the first set of steps, something catches your eye. Directly above the landing, which you have not reached yet, there are two small white circles, no bigger than a fist. They are evenly spaced, and remind you somewhat of pupil-less eyes.
They are nestled in the corner of the ceiling, about ten feet above the landing. You are approximately at the same level as the circles currently, but they are about fifteen feet away, horizontally.
Hand me a long stick or spear. There is something in the corner I wanna check out. ibinu calls out behind him. He beckons with one hand to the "thing" and then holds his hand back over his shoulder for the requested kind of item.
In response to Ibinu's request and Bian's question, the pair of white circles, roughly fist-sized, that Ibinu spotted undulate across the ceiling. Seeing the thing move, it appears to be roughly analogous to a spider, with two unblinking, pupil-less eyes. Even knowing its location, it is difficult to discern the exact shape of the thing. Once it skitters out of easy reach, it stops again. Watching.
Staring upward at the circles Ibinu pointed out, she asks "Anyone know what that is? Bian? You've more studied experience in the religions, ever seen anything like it?"
Unless we can convince it to come down, my sword will be useless considers the sylph.
Squatting down on the stairs, she sheaths her sword. Loading a stone ball in a strip of leather cloth she glances back towards Kallik.
This may seem a tad phallic...eh, tis innocent...right?
Standing back up, she asks the others in a harsh whisper, "Should we try diplomatic means? Or just assume its dangerous?"
You've read enough illustrated histories to recognize the typical scouts that darkspawn armies utilize. Like the insects they resemble, these spider-things have some faux-intelligence or instinct that causes them to flee from danger, but they largely exist to provide extended sight to more powerful spawn.
Well, it doesn't belong here and can cause issues if it decides to follow us. I'd say chase it off or kill it.
Ibinu states flatly handing the spear back to his compatriot and reaching in his pack for a torch.
The spider-thing skitters off down the stairs, still clinging to the ceiling. The echoes of its flight die away a few seconds later.
At the bottom of the stairwell, the door to the second sub-level stands wide open. Above the arch, there is a hideous stone carving of two efreets, the once-angelic betrayers of Volcano. The efreet on the left is smiling, revealing sharp teeth and snapped bones. The efreet on the right is covering its eyes and weeping, lines of sorrow etched with grotesque detail into the granite.
Though Bian has seen these carvings enough times before, they seem even more sinister than usual. Nothing moves in the stairwell. Beyond the door is a T-intersection. There may have been a faint skitter to the right a moment ago, but it may have been nothing.
Looking at the grotesque carvings, Inam turns to Bian. "Do you know what these mean? And did you leave the door open or closed earlier?"
Peering down the two hallways, she looks around. "Any thoughts as to which direction we should take? Do you want to split up and each take one?"
"Splitting up would be very dangerous. We need to just pick a path and take it."
Ibinu turns left and proceeds without another word. Pausing just long enough for the others to foloow
Mumbling under her breath, "We could certainly use a little luck." Quietly following after the group and tying to listen for noises beyond their foot falls.