Caspian, meanwhile, presses on, trying to get the entire layout fixed in his mind.
When the locked cabinet is pointed out Alex heads over to examine it.”I might be able to get that open. If there are magic items in the unlocked ones wonder what’s in here.”
“Perhaps the owner of these rooms was preparing for an expedition? That would fit with the paintings,” Ana suggests. She shakes her head. “I still don’t understand why we’re here, though...”
“Don’t get too far ahead!” she calls after Caspian as she watches Alexius fiddle with the lock.
Adarian looks the room over for magic. He finds the same as before, with the panel and the circles in the ceiling. However, there is an additional aura here, on the locked cabinet. Concentrating on it he discerns a moderate aura of transmutation. It appears the wood of the cabinet has been magically treated to better preserve and protect it.
Alex works on the locked cabinet but isn't able to get it opened and thinks it is likely beyond his skill to pick due to it's complexity.
Caspian throws the other set of doors open to find a hallway, similar to the previous one that ends in another door. He heads down the hall and opens the next set of doors the light from where the others are barely filters into this room.
Heavy wooden bookshelves line the walls of this opulent bedchamber. A posh chair sits in the northwestern corner alongside a small circular table. An ornate golden key rests in a layer of dust on the small table. A massive bed and an adjoining table rest along the eastern side of the room. An open bathroom fits into the southwest, with a bathtub matching the room’s opulence. Another closed door exits to the south, with a brass and green glass plate is on the wall nearby.
Caspian, by now suspecting what he will find, crosses the room and opens the southern door.
"This is some sort of enclosed area!" He calls back. "I think I'm about to end up back at the start!"
Caspian moves down to the southern door, barely enough light to see with the rest of the group still in the room with the tables, and sees it opens into another hallway.
"The magic is still active. Odd." Adrian turns away from the panel. "That cabinet is magically reinforced. It'll be quite difficult to break it open if the lock can't be picked. Perhaps there's a key hidden in one of these rooms somewhere."
When Caspian's voice comes calling from the next room, Adrian's stomach drops. Hoping he's mistaken, Adrian walks east into the next room, following after Caspian. The magical lights floating overhead move as well, darting past to illuminate the darkness.
Now with more light in the room, it is much easier to see. Down the hallway that Caspian is standing in front of, he sees another closed door much the same as the two previous hallways.
With Adrian providing light Caspian proceeds to open the door...
Having searched the current room, and being thoroughly annoyed with the locked cabinet, Alex moves on to search the bedroom. "First a locked cabinet, now a key. Well doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. Hey Caspian, Adrian don't get to far ahead, I might be able to se fine but the ladies will have a hard time if you run away with the light. I'm going to try this key out." with that Alex returns to the previous room to try the key on the locked cabinet.
The key in the master bedroom is too large to fit the lock on the cabinet.
Caspian opens the door at the end of the hallway, hearing Alex yell out to him. On the other side is another unlit room, but he can barely make out what is inside. Stacked wooden crates cover the southern wall, and more crates occupy the northwestern corner. Wooden shelves fill much of the eastern half of the room, each tier filled with dust-coated bottles, crockery, and glass jars. There is a brass and glass plate on the wall near the western door.
Based on the rough sizes of the rooms you assume the western door connects back to where you started and once you have an opportunity to check, you confirm this. It appears you are in a set of rooms that connect to one another with no apparent exit.
Adrian follows behind Caspian, guiding his magic lights along with him as they investigate. He sighs when it becomes apparent that they are in a set of rooms with no obvious way out. "This goes some way toward explaining the food-producing magic items in the other room," he states. He paces slowly, his mind working to put together the information available. "This might be some sort of hidden safe place. Whoever had this place built probably wanted somewhere they could hunker down and hide for an extended period of time. A place no one else could get into." He shrugs and adds, "Or at least, that's my guess."
He stops his pacing near the plate next to the western door. "Still, that also means there must be some way out of here," Adrian concludes. "We ought to continue a thorough search of the rooms. But first..." Curious to see what happens, he reaches out and touches the panel.
Touching the panel Adrian hears a click, like all the others before, this time though with all the rooms open you notice that the lights in the bunk room, which were previously off, come on. Also, the lights in the dining room, which were previously on, go off.
Having found all four panels, as you go around and activate them you see they all turn on and/or off different lights. Either someone built this place to intentionally be confusing or something happened in the long time it has sat here unused to mess with the how the magical lighting functions.
Ana follows the others, her heart sinking when it becomes clear that they're all locked in some kind of circular series of rooms. She tries not to panic at the thought of being trapped in these rooms forever.
When Adrian reveals the true nature of the panels, though, her interest is piqued. "Why would someone design these panels to operate the lights in this manner?" she wonders aloud, following him. "Do you think it could be related somehow to the way out?"
"Well there must be a way out." Caspian says slowly. "It isn't obvious so that means it's hidden somehow. The first room would be too obvious and the second one with the cabinets and the food would be impractical. I think it must be one of the two most recent ones. If only we had more reliable light!"
As he says that a bundle of lights like Adriana burst into life above his head. Rather than being impressed Caspian seems annoyed. "And this is why I was never any good at magic!"
With the light situation solved he moves back into B4 to begin a search.
"Someone should look for a key too." He says, "There must be a way to open that cabinet."
After a short time of figuring out the layout of the rooms you hear Martella's voice in your heads "Where did you go?! You and several others in the senate seem to have vanished into thin air!"
Caspian goes to work searching the rooms starting in the master bedroom and then moving to the storage room. The first thing that draws his attention is a scroll case hanging from the railing of the bathtub. This bronzed and pitted case opens to reveal a tattered note that reads: “Fourth bed from the north. Comforter. Backup key.” He also finds a hand mirror and a frayed brush rest on the sink in the bathroom.
Searching the beds, you eventually find another key. This smaller key, as compared to the one on the table you picked up, appears it would fit in the locked cabinet.
Trying the key the cabinet unlocks. Inside the locked cabinet is something that resembles an immovable crystal ball built into the wall. It appears to be missing a rectangular piece, leaving a hole in the top of the device.
Looking through the various books on the shelf, he eventually finds a collection of false books. Moving the false books aside he finds a circular, coin-sized niche on the wall behind the shelf, but it connects to no obvious mechanisms. Additionally, there is a small, curved piece of rectangular glass sitting on the shelf.
Finally getting to the storage room, a routine check of the chamber reveals changes of clothes, condiments, pickled vegetables, preserved delicacies, salted meats, and a well-stocked toolkit. The room is obviously a storage area. While all the foodstuff here has long since rotted, the toolkit is well stocked and in excellent shape, counting as a masterwork tool for Craft checks related to carpentry, metalworking, or stonework.
The stack of boxes to the south takes 30 minutes for one person to rearrange into something less hectic. Doing so reveals a beautiful fresco painted on the southern wall, depicting Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, battling the dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains. A brass plate identifies the fresco as “Noble Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, champion of Taldor.”
After sorting through the crates you find a few things of worth or utility, including three daggers, two longswords, a halberd, a masterwork rapier, 12 masterwork darts, and a masterwork suit of studded leather armor.
Ana seizes the curved piece of glass when Caspian shows the rest of the group. "Maybe this is for that crystal ball-like thing!" If it looks like it fits, she slots it into place.
She also looks at the uncovered items in the storeroom with interest. "Clearly whoever set this up planned to be here for a long time. But they must've done so quite some time ago...even the pickled stuff is rotted." She holds up a piece of the studded leather armor, looking at it critically. "I could use this, if no one else wants it."
Ana's head snaps up when she "hears" Martella. Lady Lotheed! I'm well; with Caspian, Adrian, Alexius, Cyrene. In some safe room; no way out. Do you know where we are? You well?
Adrian ponders the lighting situation. "Perhaps," he replies to Anabella. "Or perhaps it's simply broken down for some reason. Hard to say."
He follows along with the others, helping to search the rooms as necessary, but primarily standing back and puzzling through the things being found. "Yes, that seems..." Adrian's sentence trails off as Ana runs into the other room. He considers following her, but he hesitates. The small, circular niche in the bookshelf had captured his attention. There has to be some reason for it to be there, or so Adrian believes. Curious, he steps back a few feet and points his finger at the bookshelf.
Adrian is distracted from his investigations when Martella's voice echoes in his head. "We're fine, Lady Lotheed. In a closed safe room, likely a noble's. Any idea why?"
Anabella takes the piece and fits it into the orb. As she does she feels a strange tingle in her head as her hand lingers a moment, but nothing appears to happen.
Adarian examines the niche and the surrounding area. As he detects magic, he locates a strong aura of conjuration magic on the wall near the shelf where the niche is located.
Cyrene responds to the message swiftly, anxious to update Lady Lotheed.
"I'm fine. With others. In safe room. Any ideas on how to leave or escape would be helpful."
While she waits for a response, Cyrene takes a look at the prominent fresco, interested in its prominence. She believed that this room was a safe room of sorts, designed to prevent someone getting in, and not someone getting out - it was just that her friends didn't know the tricks that someone familiar with the place would know.
Cyrene looks the fresco over, taking her time to check every inch of it carefully. It is particularly well made and the artistic quality is top notch, however she doesn't find anything else of particular interest.
'Stay safe Martella!' Caspain sends, not bothering with anything longer when the rest of the group have provided the necessary information.
He sorts through the equipment and calls out "Does anyone want this stuff? There's a well balanced rapier, some good leather armour and a few other weapons."
Conjuration magic. This must be part of how to get out of here. Adrian leaves the lord's chamber and returns to the room with the now-opened cabinet. He goes to inspect the orb that Ana had just fitted the piece of glass into. "May I?" he inquires politely. Once he has an opportunity, he again points his finger, this time at the orb.
Examining the conjuration aura closer Adrian can't quite tell what it is, since whatever magic is there hasn't been used in a very long time. Without seeing it active it's too difficult to tell the specific function. However, he is confident it is not a trap, but likely something that needs to be manually activated somehow.
Back in the dining room, Adrian detects a faint aura of divination magic from the crystal ball. He isn't quite sure of the use, it isn't a magic item per say, but seems to be a piece of a magical contraption, possibly with some link to the conjuration aura in the other room. However, he can't be certain without activating it.
Alex joins Caspian looking at the found Items. "If no one else is interested I'd be happy to take that rapier."
Caspian flips the rapier over with a practised gesture and offers it, hilt first, to Alexius. "Let's hope we don't have to use it." He replies with a smile.
Adrian continues his own investigation of the magic devices, largely oblivious to to divvying of loot going on in the other room. None of it sounded particularly useful to Adrian anyway. He was hardly one to take up a rapier and go toe to toe with an adversary.
Detecting an aura of divination coming from the magical contraption, but unsure exactly what it might do, he decides there is only one way to find out: to activate it. He reaches out and places a hand on it.
Adrian stares into the ball concentrating on the magical energies within. Peering into the crystal ball he sees the fresco on the wall of the storage room. Adrian feels like something is just a little different in the fresco he sees through the crystal ball compared to what he remembers seeing on the wall, almost as if one part is a little brighter but it is hard to tell with the lights on in the storage room, as if it is drowning out the clarity of the image.
"Something there, but it's too bright," Adrian murmurs. His head turns, first to the panel on the far wall, then to the lights themselves. "That's it, the lights. The lights need to be off." He stands and calls out to the others still sifting through loot in one of the other rooms. "I think I've figured something out!"
After watching listlessly, unable to contribute much, Cyrene is thrilled when Adrian has a breakthrough. "What is it, what is the solution?" she asks excitedly, happy to lend her assistance.
"Well, it may be a solution, or it may lead to a solution," Adrian says. "Anyway, I've been examining a few things that have caught my eye. This set of rooms is closed off, and without any kind of physical door, there's really only one way out I can think of. Magic."
He points toward the bedchamber with the indent in the wall. "There is an aura of conjuration magic on that small niche on the shelf in there. It's an area of magic I'm... well, somewhat familiar with." He pauses, then presses on. "I thought the crystal ball in here might be related, and I still think it might be. It's a scrying device, and it looks at the large fresco in what appears to be a storage room. What intrigues me, however, is that when viewed through this ball, there is something different about that fresco. There are parts of it that seem just a little... off compared to viewing it directly. Parts that seem brighter in a way. I'd guess the lights in there need to be out in order to see clearly what's different, and there would probably need to be light in here. Perhaps that's why the light switches work the way they do." The young noble gives a shrug of his shoulders.
"Regardless, this is my theory. I believe the ball, the fresco, and that niche are all connected. It's possible that viewing the fresco through the crystal ball, in the dark, might show something that could lead us to an exit. Perhaps it will activate the magic embedded in the bedchamber, or show us some way to do so." With a smile and a nod he concludes his "discovery".
"So if I go into the storage room, you turn off the lights and then we pass instructions we might be able to see what we need to do?" Caspian summarises. "That'll work. Let's try it."
He suits actions to words, heading for the storeroom and waiting for the lights to go out.
After getting the lights off in the storage room and leaving the lights on in the dining room Adrian looks into the crystal ball. This time he clearly sees that a small gem in the pommel of Maramaxus sword is lit up in his vision of the fresco. However, anyone looking at the painting (with Darkvision since the lights are off) does not see the portion of the fresco lit up.
Relating the info to someone for them to press the piece Adrian eventually sees 6 lit spots one after another. Upon touching the final spot the fresco splits open, revealing a hidden compartment beyond. A small bag lies inside the niche, holding 20 magically charged gold coins, each bearing the Voritas family crest, the same crest that is on your senate aide badges.
Ana, having followed Caspian into the storeroom, peers into the bag once they get it to the light (or turn the lights on). “Well, that explains one thing, at least...this must have belonged to the Voritas family. A long time ago, I’m guessing.” She bites her lip, frowning. “Maybe these are for that little circle in the bookshelf?”
"Given how complicated this was I assume that must be the way out." Caspian agrees. "We should collect everything of value before we go - this could lead out anywhere and we may need to be prepared."
Once everyone is ready Caspian will head to the slot in the wall and insert a coin.
Once everyone is ready you head into the master bedroom and Caspian inserts a coin into the slot. It disappears and as it does an ethereal passage opens on the wall to the side of the shelf.
This is a phase door, an ethereal passage through wooden, plaster, or stone walls, but not other materials.
Though he feels like he knows something about the magic on the wall, Adrian just can't recall exactly what the spell is. Regardless, he knows it's conjuration magic, and is most likely the way out. "Well, it would seem we've found our way out," he says. He steps forward and stands before the passage, then turns to the others. "Shall we?"
Once ready, he steps through the passage to the other side.
"Allow me Adrian." Caspian says, stepping up. "If something goes wrong you're the one that can fix it." With that he leads the way through the portal (and hopefully not to a horrific death!).
Caspian is the first to step through and promptly disappears.
A single hooded lantern rests on the ground here, flickering with a blue light, illuminating the hall.
Before they proceed to test the magical exit, Ana asks Cyrene for a hand with getting on the armor the group found, withdrawing into another room for some privacy. Once she's newly equipped, she watches the proceedings with a look of worry. When Caspian disappears, she calls out, "You all right? Still there?"
Caspian picks up the lantern, shining it up and down the hallway.
"It's safe." He calls, unsure whether the rest of the group can hear him. "Come on through."
Anabella shouts out to Caspian but there is no response.
Caspian decides, without any indication to the contrary, that this area is safe. He tries returning through the wall.
Once everyone is assembled Caspian moves to the lever and depresses it firmly.
Caspian eventually reappears and lets everyone know it is safe once everyone is through he pulls the lever on the wall. A secret door opens in the middle of the wall granting access to another area.
Chiseled stone statues of Taldan Phalanx soldiers stand atop plinths in the outer corners, visible from any point in this ominous hall. Sturdy wooden doors line the outer edge of the hall: two to the east, two to the south, two to the west, and a single larger door to the north.
With his sword out Caspian takes the lead, uncertain of what exactly he is about to face... he heads for the left-hand doors, intending to take the room in a circle.