Byung-He quickly backs away 10 feet behind Zordlon as he gets ready to try to trip the trap. "Um...this is not really my area but if it just resets why keep triggering it?" He seems genuinely confused.
With Byung-He's help, Zordlon discovers that the trap takes approximately 30 seconds to reset. The door itself swings freely while the trap is not set, and can be rushed through quickly while the clockwork quietly ticks.
On the back side of the door you find a series of clockwork gears, clicking into place. Now with a more full view of the trap's mechanisms it is easy enough to disable. Your arcane sight also identifies the source of the trap's magical effect. A slender wand of oak with pyrographed flames licking up the sides rests in a receptacle within the door. The trap seems to have been designed to allow for customization of the magical effect. With a different wand you could likely change what the trap does.
You stand in a smaller chamber about 25' x 25' with smooth walls to the east and west. The ceiling here is shorter than in the previous room, but still rises about 15' above you. Several piles of moldy sacks sit in each of the four corners of this room, their decaying contents fill the air with a sour smell. There is a door directly across from the one you just opened.
You can also still detect that faint smell of death and decay coming from the western wall. It is distinct from the smell of the moldy sacks. More...meaty?
Zurne pulls out his cutlass and scans the room, including the ceiling.
"I'm not having the best of luck," he says quietly. "Look around. I don't think we are alone."
Byung-He enters the room once he is told it is safe by Zordlon and places one hand on Zord's shoulder staying next to him as he looks around. The hand is not a firm holding back gesture but more a light touch of confirmation he is there and ready to heal if necessarily.
Quickly entering the room Unbeugsam smiles at pointy-ears in a thought so smile.
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Unbeugsam, as you enter the room your dwarven eyes pick out a faint seam in the western wall that others without your knowledge of stonework might miss. In this area of the wall that faint meaty smell of decay seems to be the strongest. You have no doubt that there is a secret door there, passing into the same room that the other door from the main antechamber went into.
"That's why we try to trigger it. Never know what kind of nice toys someone has left behind. Can anyone use this? I'm pretty sure it's a wand of Burning Hands
Taking a look at the moldy sacks "Also, could one of you with light bring it a bit forward? I would like to know what kind of mold this is before checking the sacks"
Zordlon also does a sweep of the room from the center with Detect Magic, seeing if there is any more goodies.
Zurne - From your study of nature (Knowledge nature DC11) you know that that is black mold. Due to your high Knowledge nature check result, you also know if disturbed it will send out a cloud of poisonous spores that deal constitution damage on a failed saving throw. It can be destroyed with fire or by allowing it to dry out in a warm, dry climate (a process that takes 24 hours).
If consulted Sayarisha can confirm that it is indeed black mold and knows of its poisonous effects, but is unaware of the method for destroying it.
"Unless someone else knows more about the other possible contents of those moldy sacks I'd keep as far away from them as possible. It's curious that some being or creatures placed them so carefully in the four corners of that room. We should be very careful of any other doors or passageways into that room, those piles of black mold make that room a dangerous place."
Taani steps in carefully, making sure to disturb nothing, letting the expert dungeoneers identify the hazards.
"Black mold you say? I seem to recall something about that from my teacher..."
After proper cultivation and drying, black mold can be refined into a powerful toxin. The process requires special drying facilities and can takes up to a week. Transferring black mold to a drying facility has been found to be too dangerous in the past, so manufacturers of the poisons powder now cultivate the mold inside their drying equipment.
First indicating the secret door Unbeugsam takes care to check the other parts of the room, giving the mold a wide berth.
Unbeugsam, after further inspection of the room you locate a second secret door of the same style on the opposite (eastern) wall that your initial cursory glance of the room did not pick out.
"This mold can be dried out over a week with the proper equipment into a potent toxin. I do not recommend it but perhaps it could be useful if I find ways to transport it later if we can come back."
"Yes, I doubt that we would have the time to do such refinement. If someone with a torch would be so kind as to put those to the flame?"
"Unbeugsam, you say that you've found a secret door?"
Zordlon checks the indicated spot, carefully checking for any further traps.
"We have a plethora of places to explore it seems. Any suggestions for routes further?
"Yes, best to leave this mold in situ, as it were," says Zurne, his eyes still glittering. "Must we, with the torch? It could damage the contents."
Zordlon inspects the readily apparent door as well as the two spaces on the wall where Unbuegsam reports the existence of hidden passages.
None of the doors appear to be trapped or locked. The secret passages seem to be sections of wall hinges on a central pivot. Pushing against the wall on either side of the pivot should cause the door to smoothly rotate open.
The faint smell of decay from the western door is thoroughly unpleasant, but you do not hear anything moving on the other side of any of the doors.
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Pointing to the first secret door Unbeugsam smiles.
"First things first. Open it Zorglin! I will be ready to receive anything that charges through."
Taanimohka hides a small smile.
Zorglin!
The warrior moves to the side of the door by the opening, ready to aid Unbeugsam. She nods to Zordlon.
"I must firmly agree with Zurne, torching the mold seems hasty and unecessary so long as we are careful to not agitate it."
...
Byung-He takes up position behind Unbeugsam places a hand on his shoulder.
With encouragement from Unbeugsam and Taanimohka, Zordlon places a hand on the left side of the pivot and presses firmly. After a moment's resistance, the door smoothly rotates clockwise to a position perpendicular to the rest of the wall. 3.5' openings sit on either side of the 1' wide barrier, enough room for people to enter two by two should they wish.
The light from the stone reaches through the doorway to reveal what appears to be a charnel house floor.
Now that the door is open, the smell from before is overwhelming. The source is more than a score of bodies piled up in the middle of the room, their flesh rotting away. From the doorway you can see the remains of a couple dozen or more kobolds and troglodytes.
Zurne takes a deep breath, holds it, steps past Zordlon, and shuts the door.
Accompanied by Dornhold and the two donkeys, Sayarisha steps forward just inside the room with the others. She wrinkles her nose as she notes the faint smell of decay coming from the western door. Seeing the others around the door, she maintains her distance and watches the other mentioned doorways of the room keeping an eye out for trouble.
"I can understand why one might be concerned about what could be behind a door with such an odor, but to be honest, it would be the last door I would open. But then, I do have a delicate nose."ahe comments just as they open the western secret door.
Taanimohka quickly stifles...something, and prevails.
Byung-He covered his mouth and nose with his free hand gagging slight as he held onto Unbeugsam's shoulder. "In Qi-Zhong's name, close that foulness."
Zurne pushes the door back closed, sealing off the foul smell and leaving the room and carcass pile unexplored. Dornhold nods in agreement.
"Is smelling of vile pit. Not worth troubles me thinks.
Elf man said other doors not trapped though. I will open next. Mistress, should go forward or to the right? I will check see if safe."
Dornhold looks inquiringly at Sayarisha, awaiting instructions.
Zordlon coughs for a moment, stepping back to get cleaner air.
" Yes, I don't believe there will be anything in there that we'll want... but I am worried about what has been hiding the bodies. Troglodytes are not the easiest to kill. If no one has any objections, We should piton this closed. Might starve out whatever is using this as a larder."
"Dornhold, wait until all are ready before we move. Even then we should let Zordlon piton that door shut. While we have yet to see anyone near living except for those orcs if that room was a 'food' storage we should expect the storekeepers to find us soon."
"Those places always have a back exit," says Zurne, squinting at the door, "But yes, it should be made fast with a piton.
Zurne moves to the north door. "I will open it when we are in close formation."
He listens at the door.
Listening closely at the door you hear nothing in the room beyond. As you concentrate you almost feel like you barely hear the sound of some creature letting out a death scream far in the distance, but it definitely sounds distant at top volume, not nearby. Then again, you may just be imagining it.
Byung-He stands ready as he backs up Zurne and Unbeugsam, crouching slightly behind them trying to stay out of danger.
Taanimohka will aid Zordlon, providing a piton of her own if necessary.
With Taanimohka's help Zordlon uses 4 pitons to wedge the door at the base and towards the upper ends of the sides. With them hammering together the rotation around the axis is prevented and the door stays in a neutral position. The process makes a large amount of noise. Any creatures nearby are certainly aware of your presence as soon as you begin, and having started you might as well finish.
After their work is done Zordlon pushes his weight against the door to ensure it is secure. The pitons give a little, but then settle and will not budge.
"Well, I feel much better now. Hopefully that didn't warn anything that we were coming. Zurne, you wish to go north?"
Zordlon checks the door for traps,
then steps back, bow at the ready.
and warns Zurne to step back until he can figure out what will trigger it.
The door appears to be free of traps. It is not locked and looks to open into the room or corridor beyond.
"Zordlon, my thanks," says the druid. He patiently waits until the three folks who had inhaled troglodyte rot feel better, then pushes open the door, cutlass ready. "Unbeugsam, are you all right? You look like the kind of person who'd be best in front. Anyhow, let's move onward."
The door opens slowly into the next corridor, with a slight rasping creak of metal grinding on metal. The creak rebounds and echoes back louder than before, a strange artifact of these underground tunnels.
Before you is a 15' wide corridor, a continuation of the plain worked stone that you are already beginning to get sick of. The corridor proceeds for 25' before being swallowed into darkness at the edge of your light source.
For those with 60' darkvision you can see a t-branch begin about 40' from you and opposite of the branch a blank wall at the edge of that darkvision range.
From your vantage at the doorway you see nothing to indicate signs of life or anything amiss.
"Forward and lets check out the intersection...I'll be right behind you all."
"Well, perhaps Unbug should take up the rear then, watch our backs."
Zordlon takes point, heading down the hallway to the T-branch, moving slowly to check for traps as he moves. (Taking 10 for a 20, or 22 if it is set in stone)
As he moves forward, he gestures for everyone to move up behind him.
As Zordlon slowly travels down the hallway, the T-intersection reveals itself to be a long room to the left and a U-bend to the right where a narrow passage heads back to the south.
In the long room to the left of you there is a dead body lying about 40 - 50' from where you stand. From here it looks to be another orc, with dark red-black blood seeping from his abdomen. The body lies still, from this distance you detect no breathing or movement, and with that much blood coming from his gut you would expect at least a groan of pain were he alive. There is no other sign in the room of an assailant, but this appears to be a recent kill.
Zurne looks at the body.
And is mindful of the room.
This orc was alive somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes ago, and was being fed on by something with a small mouth with sharp fang like teeth. There are also strange marks across his exposed arms, like needle pricks all in a line. A spiked rope or chain perhaps? It is hard to say how recently the feeding was happening, but judging by how much blood and flesh is left you would say it was probably interrupted.
Neither you or Zordlon have seen wounds like these before.
On the orc's body you find a ruined set of leather armor a battle ax, a dagger of fine make and a coin purse. Interestingly, the battle ax and dagger have no blood or ichor on them. It does not look like he was successful in any attempt to fight back, or did not have the opportunity to attempt.
Byung-He stays at the intersection with Zurne but as the man moves forward he glances around nervously especially at the ceiling. He then reluctantly follows along to examine the body with the other fellows.
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As you look at the corpse, with the strange circular bite mark and rope like injuries across the armor and down his arms, at first you cannot bring anything to mind. No demon or undead creature that you know of made these marks. But then you remember a book you read once long ago. "Magical Creatures of Golarion" An image flashes in your head of a strange octopus like creature that would lie in wait on ceilings and ambush its prey from above. You cannot recall what it was called, or anything about weaknesses or strengths. Just the image of a ringed mouth and grasping tentacles that would have you nervously checking your ceilings when you were a child.
"What would interrupt the beast that was feeding on this orc? Us? Something worse?"
Zurne looks up, and then looks for signs of the beast leaving.
Nodding to the others, Unbeugsam shrugs.
"I am a bit slow, and being in the last spot is not that good for me.
But alas, I do not mind to follow you. If we have to run, at least I have a head start!"
"Beware...I think this creature is some sort of tentacle ceiling stalker magical beast." Byung-He continues to glance upwards nervously.