Otavio weighs the tool of murder in one hand and gives it his nod of approval. However, there's another magical murder tool in his possession and really, does a man need two? "Eh, so, who wants to take this handaxe off me? I hope I'm not axing too much, but we should spread out our magical means of disposing of magical foes. Just in case."
Sara stares for a few moments at Otavio, before breaking into a bright smile and a belly erupting laugh.
To Bimble then, "One key first, return it and then borrow the breastplate? In case the door bursts open once unlocked and bad things (since this place is full of them) charge us?"
The warrior-poet represses the urge to frown. After all, puns aren't exactly the highest form of literature - the opinions of some be damned. "I always prefer caution over rashness when time isn't an issue."
"Well, we have been down here a while, though," Rossana points out as she follows Bimble. "They're probably looking for stragglers at this point if they're fighting at all, unless a whole army has appeared at the front doors."
"umm..." Sara takes the axe, swings it a few times very clumsily, like slapping a dirty blanket with a stick. It is really embarrassing. But she slips it in her belt anyway.
As you eventually make your way back to the locked door after try and unlock it you hear Martella's voice in your head once again “Stavian’s forces retreating, military is divided. Maxillar Pythareus seen moving with impunity through Stavian’s assassins.”
Reaching the door, careful not to look at the bloody circles on the walls, you take the two keys you have and slide them into each keyhole. Turning them you hear mechanisms click into place and the door creaks open slightly.
Martella's message rekindles the embers of hope and reinvigorates Otavio's desire to make it out of this place alive. "Ambition makes palatable more than we can imagine, but I am sure that a feeling of duty and pride, but also honor and integrity, leave many unable to swallow down what transpired during Stavian's speech. What he did is truly beyond reason. Now, with this door unlocked, is everyone ready? I got a bad feeling about this."
Sara takes the key, runs back to 12, and turns it back in for the breastplate, then returns lugging the heavy steel. Out of breath she simply smiles in agreement with the other two's statement about hope.
After Martella's message, Rossana face falls a bit at the news. "So Maxillar is a traitor as well. One man going mad is one thing, but for someone as distinguished as him to condone such actions?"
Those who happen to be looking at Capricia see her brow furrow and her jaw clench when the name "Maxillar Pythareus" is mentioned by Lady Martella. In fact, the anger in the redhead's visage is even fiercer than it was for Lady Lotheed earlier.
"We won't know until we get out of here and rejoin Lady Martella. Tonight was about taking part in making the realm a better place for us all... and now it has become just helping make it survive." Sara sighs, pulling hair out then refastening it out of her eyes. Too many strands had escaped.
"Are we ready to move forward?"
Bimble checks the armor and is sure it is just a simple magically enchanted brestplate
Once everyone is ready Caprciai opens the door the rest of the way. Wide stairs descend into this tiered, circular chamber. Chairs stand in odd positions throughout the room, collected into circular patterns, even outside of the greater circular patterns of the hall itself. Circular gouges mar the surface of the wooden walls and floor here, some left to stand alone, while others are multiple circular scratches overlaying one another, joined by lines and scrawlings. The greatest concentration of circles gathers on the ceiling, some forty feet above, where multicolored circles inscribed with artistic fanaticism surround a five-foot-wide hole in the ceiling.
"Circles upon circles. This guy is pretty thorough," Rossana comments as she looks warily for any signs of danger though quite distracted by all the marring of the room.
"Disconcerting." Sara whispers agreeing with Rossana. Whispering because this felt like the kind of place to whisper in. "I had hoped this guy would be left behind once we crossed the locked door." she'll look at the other woman with a wistful, yeah I know that was wishful thinking, look. Then start stepping into the room.
Otavio treads about as if he's walking on eggshells. He stays close to Bimble, ready to shield the investigating gnome from any harm. It wouldn't be the first time for this place to try and kill them, again. "Eh, why do I have this feeling we shouldn't touch anything in here?"
"Cause every time we touch something it comes alive and attaches itself to our face." Sara answers, unnecessarily.
Marcus can't help but smile at Sara's answer.
"We'll be out of here soon, but until then, I'm sure you're right - we should expect that anything can kill us."
Marcus moves to the perimeter of the room, crossbow drawn and eyes scanning for any unexpected movement.
Rossana pulls out her crossbow as she follows behind, though keeping from entering too far.
Capricia stalks forward cautiously, presenting herself as the first target should there be something hostile in the darkened arena or theater.
Sara stays near the group, but in front of Bimble in case something makes it past Capricia.
As Capricia walks down the stairs and then starts up the next set, see sees a door in the eastern wall. Then out of nowhere you hear a voice in an odd language. With the chambers natural acoustics, obviously meant to amplify sound and carry it throughout the chamber, you can't pinpoint where the voice is coming from.
Rossana nearly jumps at the voice, her tail whipping wildly as she looks for the source. Keeping her crossbow ready, Rossana waits nervously for the coming, probable action.
With axe in hand, Otavio finds himself questioning the wisdom of entering this room the way they did. Is this 'Archduke' an actual person of flesh and blood, or a ghost?!
"How many languages do you know?" Sara whispered, clearly in awe that their wizard can talk to anyone. She'll also make sure to have that handaxe in hand.
The voice echoes in the chamber once again with a hearty laugh followed by speaking gibberish to all but Bimble. "Вы слишком хороши, чтобы упустить возможность просто позволить себе бродить свободно ... Я никогда раньше не видел, чтобы человек или гном умирали. Это должно помочь значительно продвинуть мое исследование!"
The voice stops for a moment and then you hear a single, sharp word. "Убийство!"
As the word echoes throughout the chamber you hear squaking noises that grow louder and louder until mounds of rats start to pour out from hidden cubbies.
The nearest swarm of rats flows over Rosanna and Sara, while the one further away moves toward Capricia and Trant. The ones on Rosanna and Sara start biting at them.
Otavio suppresses the instinct to run at the sight of the hordes coming for them. He yells at his companions, hoping that like him, they too find it in them to stand and fight. "Hack 'em to bits! We ain't going to end up as rat food, no we ain't!"
Sara screams, yes SCREAMS, as rats pour over her biting every bit of exposed flesh. She can do nothing other than flay, smack, and start getting sick.
[ooc]nauseated
Capricia steps back into the light next to Dame Trant, dropping into a crouch. "Remember--low, sweeping cuts!" she says to her former enemy, now fellow defender.
for
for
Rossana lets out a sharp bark as the rodents suddenly appear, followed by several pained yelps as the creatures began biting at her with their horrible teeth.
As the rats swarm out of seemingly nowhere, Capricia moves close to Trant and readies herself to attack them when the get closer. Sara can't do much other than scream as she gets bitten by several rats and looks to almost turn green as she starts to gag while trying to hold down her diner from that Gala. Otavio steps up and slices into some of the rats killing a few of them, but there are still plenty left. Marcus, not quite sure what to do just waits to see how things progress.
Out of no where you hear the intonations of an arcane spell. Suddenly you see an oversized rat, about the size of Bimble, clinging to the ceiling overhead, appear out of nowhere as an arrow of green acid forms and he flings it toward Capricia.
Luckily the arrow misses Capricia.
Nauseated by both the smell and feel of the rats, Rossana can't help but gag. Stumbling away from the swarm of rats, Rossana unsteadily bats away the few left clinging to her as she tries to escape.
Rossana moves out of the rats, doing her best to avoid throwing up. Bimble steps back and blasts the rats with a brilliant display of colors, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.
Trant readies herself for the incoming swarm as well.
The rats to the north move over Marcus and Otavio, after the damage Otavio afflicted to some of the rats. The one to the south moves over Trant and Capricia.
While Capricia doesn't have any luck hitting the swarming rats, Trant cuts into a few of them, cutting down on their number.
You are nauseated for 1 round
Capricia grits her teeth in pain from the many rat teeth that find her flesh...and in annoyance from her two poor attacks. Keeping calm, she steps away from the swarm and sweeps her falcata at the rats again, this time with better effect.
for
for
Sara manages to hold in the last of her lunch (barely). Rats are horrible things, nasty squeaky dirty things! And in these numbers! She almost throws up again watching them swarm over her friends.
Looking up at the huge one on the ceiling "Whatever you ARE! We will get out of here. We will be FREE of THIS place!" Sara yells.
"please don't let us die here, dinner to these things" she whispers mentally to whatever god might be listening.
What plans Otavio has to bring an end to the swarm will have to wait until the man can regain control of his stomach and senses.