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Marak smiles, "As a scholar of ancient Thassilon, I can both speak and read the language..." as he examines the writing in question.
"I suspect the stones painted to serve as fake coins would only trigger some trap, if placed within these slots. The sacrifice of a real coin of similar size and shape, preferably one with similar markings, might yield better results." he ponders aloud, doubting that those following sins as virtues, would allow a painted rock to serve as a key of sorts, instead of something of actual value.
"On the other hand, the designer might have revered deception, or simply intended a symbolic sacrifice, and a painted rock might be the ideal choice to gauge whether or not one is properly miserly enough to count as 'virtuous' by their twisted standards, unwilling to spend an actual coin on such a passage..."
Realizing that he's just basically offered no useful information, by contradicting himself, Marak shrugs and gets back to examining the writing.
Sorry should be clearer..The pillar of coins is a single sculpture..and you have a few old Thassilonian coins in your loot.
Romon looks at the slots. Curiousity's tug is irresistable. He pulls a copper from his beltpouch and feeds it into one of the slots.
The wild druid in wolf form seems uneasy in this place and is constantly searching for scents which are not there. Never comfortable underground in teh first place, the deadness of this place disturbs the furry druid even more so. Although she does not retreat, a small whine escapes her and her looks up to Big Bear for direction.
Inserting the coin has no effect as far as you can tell.
The eerie silence of the place is broken only by your movements and Ali's whining
Romon shrugs. "Let's check out the skeletons with the skull."
The rogue heads for the other end of the room.
Perception +2 more v traps
The silence is broken again as Muchorak sheaths his Shortsword and moves to Wolfspirit. Placing his free hand on her in an attempt to calm her nerves, "We should not be in the place much longer," he looks about the room, "I like this place as much as you Wolfspirit."
Muchorak looks over at Romon, "Are there any concealed entrances here?", he turns his gaze to Inikai, "Perhaps hidden by magic?"
The nervous wolf is instantly calmed by her packleaders assuring touch, tone and words and quiets down. Her only further action is to give his hand a grateful lick and keep her eyes alert as she constantly looks around.
Romon is certain there is a space behind the pillar.Maraks detect magic shows a strong transmutation effect on the carving.Nathaniel concurs and believes it is a Major Image spell designed to decorate the carving and make it look like gold.
He also points out in his normal arrogant fashion that two slots require two coins.
The skull and skeletons door reveals no traps.
Stinging from Nathaniels comment, Romon takes the gold from Marak and looks at it fondly. Waste of good gold, but if the others want to try....
The rogue holds the coin ready to slip in the slot. "On three, one, two, ..."
As the duo get set with their coins Muchorak stands, re-draws the Shortsword, and stands ready for something hostile to appear.
The pillar gives off an excrucitiating grinding noise and sinks into the floor.
Nothing leaps from the shadows at you..it's a Hallway with doors to the North,East and South
"South is as good as any."
The doors to this room are made of stone but bear no handles. An indented outline of a seven-pointed star, its shape covered by hollows and slits, graces the spot where handles should be.
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Have we encountered an item that would fit this indentation? Marak asks, attempting to remember if they have seen anything of the appropriate size and shape.
From the Haversack, he draws forth first Nualia's unidentified magical amulet, and then looks to the Lamashtan holy symbol, to see if either fit the outlines here.
Nobody has anything remotely like a key for this door.
"There must be something of great value beyond" Nathaniel says "Find the key and find it quickly, who knows what treasures of Thassilon lie behind this door"
His voice almost purrs as he strokes his goatee
Romon examines the doors, especially the indented area. "Is it a magical lock?" He wonders aloud as he looks. He tries to insert a daggertip between the doors, and between the doors and the jamb.
Perception : traps
Perception : other
Disable Device : bypass latch
The doors appear to be untrapped..however there is no room to work a dagger between the doors or into the jambs.
Nathaniel mutters a few words and looks at the door intently.
"This door is tighter than one of Enrico's barrels. Let's try the next and see if we can work around it."
Romon examines the east door for traps and listens for sounds beyond it.
Perpception: trap
Perpception: listen
Disable device: trap if needed
The door is untrapped and you hear nothing beyond it.
The usual -- make sure everyone is ready. Short sword in hand. Pull open door as shield or push through and move aside.
While the others were focused on the door, Aliwolf puts her nose to the ground to see if she can sense any tracks or presence of others. She pays particular attention to the walls, as she wonders if there may be some other, hidden way in.
Perception (+2 to smell and touch)
When the others turn to the other door she growls slightly and nods her head in readiness
This room contains three low tables, their tops covered with a strange and chilling selection of tools, saws, long bladed knives, and objects whose purpose is not readily apparent. A strange collection of bones
lies near the southern table—too many to be one skeleton, but too few to be two.
"Creepy." Romon grins and eases into the room for a quick look around. He is especially interested in the presence of doors, the southern wall, and the most valuable looking loot.
Perception:
Appraise:
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Marak mutters an invocation to Nethys, to calm his racing thoughts and settle his stomach, as much as to truly focus his insights, and then examines the metal tools and the bones, to determine if they are human, and if they are from one or multiple 'donors.'
Not even the comfort of familiar ritual can set his mind to ease, however, and he's clearly agitated as he pushes aside the sinister ironmongery with a muttered curse.
The surgical tools on the tables are exquisitely made,and are worth 100 gp in all( they count as a Masterwork healers kit) . Sitting on the easternmost table is an object that, upon closer examination, isn’t a tool at all. It appears to be a silver and gold seven-pointed star, one surface studded with nodules and blades, and the other featuring a thin curved handle.
The skeleton seems to have belonged to a two-headed man with what seems to be an additional partial skeleton of a smaller man growing from the small of his back.
Muchorak scans the room quickly, his mind of the devilworshiper and how at home he must feel here...then returns to the outside of the room and watches the remaining doors for any movement.
Romon fairly skips over to the easternmost table and grabs the seven pointed star. "Hey, Chel. DO you want this?" he taunts the mage.
"Hmmm..an unknown key to a room we don't know the contents off...some people would ask themselves just what it was that these Thassilonians wanted locked away so badly"
Annoyed that Nathaniel doesn't want to play keep away, Romon gives the star-thing to Marak to examine. The thief then picks up and examines the knife collection. "These are very fine." He tests the edge with his thumb, "Ow! And sharp. A barber would be jealous. Nualia didn't scimp on these."
"Look around you, fool" snaps Nathaniel "this place hasn't been disturbed in centuries..I doubt that b~$%& had our luck in finding her way in."
At Nathaniels outburst Muchorak wheels around his view back into the room weapons ready, "Silence devilworshiper, these halls may make you at ease but I care not to find what else still lives down here. Unless it's by our terms."
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Marak gathers up the tools to place within the Haversack. "These items, regardless of their previous use, can be used for the healing arts, and are of excellent craftsmanship. Perhaps they can be turned to instead save lives..."
He also bundles up the bones. "And this fellow, whoever he was, whatever horrors he suffered in life, deserves a proper burial."
"I am uncomfortable here as well. Let's search the last rooms to be sure that we have neutralized the threats to Sandpoint. I look forward to leaving here and standing in sunlight again."
At this last comment from Icky Aliwolf yaps her complete agreement.
No more doors in this room..you have the door leading west with skulls and skeletons, a door to the north of the corridor leading to this room and the door to the south still to investigate
Once again Aliwolf sniffs around, checking for any secret exits...any way to get out of her sooner the better for her.
Perception:(+2 touch and smell)
No secret exits..indeed ali gets no scents other than those of her teammates in this section of the dungeon
Romon considers. Skulls and skeletons are not promising, but weighed against that is the possible amusement of making the Chel wait to open the locked door. With some regrets, the half-elf suggests opening the locked door with star-pointed disc they just found.