A very short passage leads from this door. At the end is yet another wooden door with yet another inscription. It reads: "Cruelty is a tool, not a past-time. Be ruthless to thy enemy but reward who serve thee well." . This door is unlocked.
Hound looks up. Hmph..It can be both. He pushes open the door.
There's only one thing you can see in this room, illuminated by another small oil lantern. A torturer's rack. The device is empty, but primed and ready for use. The room seems too large to have just one thing in it, but that's all that's obvious.
Hounds carefully looks about the area, searching for any other clues.
Travis enters the room and looks around carefully but cautiously.
Again letting the others take Point, rose leans in the doorway.
"I like the decor, but it could use a little paint to brighten things up."
Well, if there's anything else in this chamber, it's more hidden than what they're seeing. And if there isn't, the previous chamber had another door. But it couldn't hurt to keep looking.
After a short while Rose gets bored and goes back to check the other door.
Travis takes one last long look around the room, seeking anything of interest...
Let us not split up here. Hound will follow Rose. The pack has to stay together.
Eventually, Travis finds a hidden door. It can be slid open easily, just like the others that were found before. The other door leads to a hallway. It is L-shaped, and quite long. It ends in a wooden door that reads: "The chosen are revealed by their might. The weak deserve no sympathy."
Travis looks to see the others have left him alone... shrugs and examines the trap door to see if it might be obviously trapped...
If not, he cautiously slides the door open.
Behind the tiny, untrapped door, you find a very small room, only about five by five feet. A young man, dressed in the garb of a squire is huddled in one corner, holding his hands over his face protectively. "Please! Please, don't hurt me!" he yells, just as he hears the door open. It's unclear how long he's been here, but he seems thin and dirty.
"I wasn't planning on it," Travis says flatly. "Is there some reason I should?"
The young man was obviously in this torture chamber for a reason. Perhaps he'd done something to anger Rose's father. On the other hand, this could just as easily be another test, and most likely was.
"Come on out and tell me how you came to be in this place, and why."
"Yes, do tell." Wary now of...well, everything, in this dungeon, Sholano remains near the door, projecting a concerned air even as he scans the room for potential traps.
Rose knew exactly how to deal with this situation. "You brutes, can't you see he's frightened?"
She hung her weapon at her belt and came forward slowly, kneeling down and offering the dirty squire a waterskin.
"This will all be over soon. Tell us what happened?"
Hound just snorts.
The young man spits out everything he can say. "I- I was traveling with my master, Sir Balin, when we were attacked on the road. I don't remember much of the fight... all I can remember is waking up here. There was a bald man there, dressed in the robes of a dark priest- he attacked me, he hurt me-" He shows a large burn mark on his arm. "But I was able to hide here. I've been here ever since. I don't know how long I've been here, or where Sir Balin is... the dark priest must have harmed him as well! I hope he's alright, but I fear for him."
He then mumbles out a quick "Thank you", takes the water and begins to drink quickly, clearly quite dehydrated.
Rose's blood ran cold as the young squire mentioned Sir Balin, the inquisitor that had captured her and taken her to Branderscar. Her feelings about the Witch Hunter were... complex. Inwardly she was a jumble. Outwardly, she merely smiled.
"I am sure he is alright. What is your name?"
So, boy. What do you know of this area?
"Timeon." replies the boy, once he's finished drinking. "I don't know really where I am, though it must be close to the moors on which Sir Balin and I were traveling. We were on horseback, I was merely following him. It was mainly quite featureless... we were on our way to capture a witch who lived on the edge of these moors, I believe, one who had escaped the pyre many times... Are we still on the moors? Is that where this house is?"
"Oh, you poor dear." Rose said, smoothly not answering his question and handing him an apple from her pouch.
"You keep that waterskin and eat something. We're going to look for a way out. Stay here for just a little bit longer and we'll be right back."
Hound shrugs and follows Rose.
Travis looks at the young lad, hoping he doesn't bolt and slowly follows Rose.
Sholano tips Timeon a gracious, caring nod, and turns to go with the others.
Interesting...If he is what he appears to be, we may have ourselves a useful little pawn.
Back in the room with the torture rack, Rose leans back against it and laces her fingers behind her head.
"Thoughts?"
If this boy is a squire of Balin, he could be useful. I wouldn't be surprised if the knight is here as well. Hound scratches his chin, being canny was not his area.
At the very least, we can get satisfaction for getting tossed into Brandenscar. As for the boy himself, he would be dead weight to take along.
"Dead weight perhaps, but he might prove useful. If he's a squire, he's had some fighting training... if nothing else, it's another body between us and harm's way... Or a trapfinder perhaps... or even a servant, if he's willing." Travis speaks low so the boy won't overhear him.
Hound rolls his eyes. Filled with the blessed hymns of Mitra he is. He spits on the ground. If either of you can figure out somethign useful to do with him, fine.
Rose shakes her head at the mention of Sir Balin. "No way he's here. Daddy wouldn't take that risk."
"Honestly, I think it would be best to leave him down here. I don't feel like babysitting, and he might be useful later, so how about we just let him stay put?"
Fine.
"FIne with me."
When handed the apple, Timeon began to eat it quite hungrily as well. He doesn't try to scramble out of the room, just sits there, eating it. The boy doesn't seem as if he's been lying about any of this. He seems genuine, motivated by getting out of this place and back to Sir Balin as soon as he possibly can.
Well let us try that other door. Hound gestures and will follow when the others are ready to leave.
"Sure." Rose said with a smile. "Did Sholano look that one over?"
Don't believe so. This will probably become a routine then? Sholano examines an area for threats and then we enter.
"It's looking like the best way to do things if we're anywhere that might be trapped."
Sholano heaves a put-upon sigh. "So it does, I suppose."
Hound will head to the next room, let Sholano examine the door and then take the lead once more.
With the air of a long-suffering nobleman, Sholano sets about inspecting the door and its lock.
Except for the previously mentioned description on the door, it seems completely normal. It is unlocked. Presumably untrapped.
Hound will take the lead through the door.
The group triumphs over the dungeon and finds the item they were sent to retrieve!
Aliens!
I'm not saying it would be aliens but..aliens.
Rose takes up rear guard, waiting to see if Hound dies horribly as he enters the next room.
Inside this room are two cobras, almost identical to actual cobras except for the fact they're made of a blue-white, gleaming metal. They are not exceptionally large, but hiss loudly when they see people entering the room. They seem ready to attack.
Initiative:
Cobras:
Rose:
Hound:
Travis:
Sholano:
Group A:
Rose
Cobras
Group B
Sholano
Travis
Hound
This room is identical in proportions to every single room you've seen on this entire trip. It's lit by a lantern in the middle. Door to the south.
Hounds grips his great sword and smashes a cobra when he is able to.