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Angela gives an exclaim of sucess at her activation of the wand, "Yes! See my prowess with a wand and... Oh no, no, no!" She starts to scramble back as the ray seems to head right for her. It slams into her chest and bathes the woman in a sickly golden glow while also knocking her off balance. She falls on her back, and struggles to push her self off the ground for a few seconds until the glow disappears.
As she gets back on her feet, she catches sight of Stinky and nearly falls back over. "Just WHAT was that spell? Made me feel very weak and turned Stinky into Steward?" She slowly gives the wand off to Lynn. "Ahh, here, you can hold onto this."
The scary weapon-like wand out of her hands, and Stinky being a little less stinky, Angela finally gives the previous statement some thought. "It seems that the wand makes you weaker... among other effects. Maybe it will help prevent our strengths being our weakness... By enfeebling oursleves, and hopefully not all turning into manservants, we can handle wat ever is going to turn strength and weakness on its head."
Actually curious about what is beyond the door now, Angela also climbs the podium and pushes on the door to slowly turn into dust and blow away in a nonexistant wind to try pushing it open.
Angela reaches up and grabs one of the ornate door-handles and pulls....
The door does not budge for the small secretary.
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Lynn narrowly dodged back as the ray went flying about the room like a pixie that got into the sugar sticks. She watched as the halfling got knocked to the ground and had an honestly difficult time getting back up. She wanted to help but felt it might be insulting if she left stinky smelling so badly and looking so dapper, which gave her a pause as she took to rubbing her eyes to make sure the spell hadn't actually hit her. Alas as soon as the effect came it had gone leaving her quite confused.
Weaving another smell at the wolverine, skunk, man-butler creature she slowly cleaned his pelt and odor into something more refined, delicate sea spray mixed with crushed blueberries.
Having finished her task of making Stinky and Kalkamedes bearable to be around once more lynn stuffed the rag into her pack only to have the mystery wand shoved into it. "Seems i'm getting all the goodies today. Now let's see about this door."
Lynn joined her fellows on the pedestal and grabs the handle.
Lynn helps Angela pulls on the door. It still doesn't budge.
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Angela gives a frown at the door. "Sleeping is right. I thought we'd need to be weak for whatever is inside these doors it seems that the doors need someone weak pulling on them. But i'm a little stronger than I look, and definitely more than your average halfling. Maybe targeting Rhinshin with the spell and having everyone else help would be best?"
She then turns to Kala adding, "It only lasted a few seconds, nothing too devastating, unless there are long term effects that haven't taken hold. Though Stinky's momentary change is what worries me more..."
Angela gives Lynn a nod. "Okay, Lynn, can you try activating the wand on Rhinshin? I'll try to assist him, and could someone not strong stand over him and try helping as well? Sleeping, we'll need you to keep Kalkamedes out of the way and anyone not helping with the door might best be served by holding the sleepers! That sound good to everyone?"
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Lynn looked at the wand in her hands, "Um.. I suppose i can try, not really a spell i'm aware of." She then took several minutes of flicking and testing various words of magic and phrases attempting to get the wand to fire off.
After lots of trial and a few major errors lynn finally manages to successfully cast the wand."Okay, quickly try the door. If that doesn't work then.. i feel we're going to need all of us to open this... if only i knew that knocking spell."
*KA-ZAP!*
Rhinshin suddenly looks a lot less furry, and a lot more human in looks and proportions. Unfortunately his small clothes do not change with him. Buttons fly everywhere.
A *KA-ZAP!* later and now he is wearing Stinky's snazzy doorman's outfit. Far more presentable certainly but not really what Lynn was going for.
About 5 seconds later there's a loud *POP!* and Rhinshin deflates back into his more regular shape and clothing (sans most of his buttons).
Finally she gets it to fire again and Rhinshin's normal mouse-like physique grows wane and weasel-like. In Lynn's head the clock on the spell's duration begins to tick.
enfeeblement (CL 1, now with 12 charges remaining).
Almaas meanwhile subdues the wayward Kalkamedes much to the chagrin of someone behind him who grumbles their disapproval under their breath at him.
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She then turns to Kala adding, "It only lasted a few seconds, nothing too devastating, unless there are long term effects that haven't taken hold. Though Stinky's momentary change is what worries me more..."
Startled, Kala blurts: "Stinky's change? What?!" But Angela had already moved on, issuing instructions with brisk efficiency.
She hesitates on her way to help hold Kalkamedes, who is by now already well restrained by Almaas. Striding over to Stinky, she gives him a quick but thorough inspection. He looks normal. What change did she mean?
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Angela gives Kala a glance, "I'll try drawing you a picture of it later, but first we should try getting this door open, before Rhinshin looses the effects of the spell!" She then pulls on the door handle that the weasel-esque ratman isn't pulling on.
She then glances back, "Uh, Kala, do you think you could stand over Rhinshin and try giving us a hand? Stinky's fine.... as far as I have seen... which may or may not mean he is okay, but you can leave him for now!"
But it is still not enough to shift the huge doors.
Releasing his grip on the rope holding Kalkamedes causes the sleep-walker to strain toward the doors again.
But he doesn't get very far.
Almaas helps to tug upon the doors, but they stubbornly remain motionless.
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She then glances back, "Uh, Kala, do you think you could stand over Rhinshin and try giving us a hand? Stinky's fine.... as far as I have seen... which may or may not mean he is okay, but you can leave him for now!"
"Okay, here I come." Kala replies, taking one last glance over Stinky before committing to pulling as hard as she can on that door. She grabs hold of the handle (or whoever's in front of her, if there's no room) and yanks with all her might.
"Okay, here I come." Kala replies, taking one last glance over Stinky before committing to pulling as hard as she can on that door. She grabs hold of the handle (or whoever's in front of her, if there's no room) and yanks with all her might.
Kala feels immediately weaker upon stepping upon the dais and results in a feeble attempt to aid.
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Noting how much weaker she felt as soon as she stepped up on the dais, Kala's head jerks up in inspiration. She swiftly fishes out her rope and ties it firmly around one of the door handles. She then backs off the dais and calls out: "Let's try it this way, guys. The black steps can't make you weaker if you're not on them. I think, anyway."
She then backs off the dais and calls out: "Let's try it this way, guys. The black steps can't make you weaker if you're not on them. I think, anyway."
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"Uh, ok. Kala has the right idea! Pull, Kala! Angela, help her out! And anyone else who can get on the the rope with them! Oh and would someone mind retrieving my wand whilst I hold onto our friend?
Almaas, did I hear someone behind you? Do you have a little companion in your pack that you haven't introduced us to perhaps?"
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"Oh, well now that's not quite true, Almaas. You are not naked, after all. If you have a familiar spirit, or a pet hamster perhaps, in your pack that is perfectly fine. But I am sure I heard a grumbling. Uh, I once met an alchemist who had grown a parasitic twin that lived half inside and half outside of him..."
The door slowly opens with sound of straining metal and a puff of stale air.
The door opens on a wide cobweb-choked hallway that ends in a deep black well. Suspended above the well by thick chains, a massive metal cage shaped like a demon’s head. Even with darkvision the shaft is so deep as to be fathomless. The cage’s door—by all appearances a menacing maw, filled with incisor-like fangs—hangs open to the west. There, a narrow bridge spans the short distance between the ledge and the cage. A small console on the north edge of the bridge bears a single lever.
Kalkamedes continues to try to move toward the demon's leering visage and the bottomless well.
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Angela takes a step or two into the room and waits for the light source to get closer before risking getting too close to the skull thing. "I want to see what Kalkamedes does in here. If it wasn't the only thing in the room I would say the skull is a trap. I want to see if that is where Kakamedes is headed, though, because we might have to ride the trap anyways if it is..."
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Assured that the door will stay put, Kala strides into the next chamber towards Rhinshin, swiping away cobwebs as she goes. "That thing won't hold all of us at the same time. Who wants to go first with Kalkamedes and Sleeping Sword. Looks like it'll only hold two more. Stinky and I could go, if no one else wants to. Almaas? Rhinshin? You've been good scouts so far. If we can all follow in shifts it would make sense for you to go first."
She makes her way to the control panel and examines the lever. "What's this for?" She mutters.
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"Uh, assuming that is some sort of lift car? I cannot see the bottom of the lift shaft. It would be best if friend Kalkamedes stayed up top until one car load of us has gone down. Otherwise, we might find that he continues his meanderings with only half of his escorts to hand.
That lever would seem to be needed for calling the lift car back."
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"I fear we may need to tie down our dear friend if we wish to ride it down with him. Seeing how he has recently been throwing punches, kicks, and the occasional well-placed headbutt."
Lynn examined the cage and thought to herself for a bit. "I suggest Rhinshin and myself go with them to scout for traps, while Almaas stays back here to prov8de rear guard."
She pointed to the lever and questioned it for a moment. "Hopefully there is one at the bottom of the shaft that can send us back up, i'd rather not split-up especially when dealing with the runelords."
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Rhinshin looks at Lynn and cocks his head. He then quickly nods, hoping not to offend someone with a gun. "Sounds good"
Angela gives the shaft and the cage a contemplative look, clearly not wanting to ride the dang thing but also really not wanting to be left alone up here. She gives the lever another look as an idea dawns on her. "May we perhaps want to try using the elevator, or lift as Sleeping seems to all it, without anyone in it? We don't know how old the thing is and if it can even ake the trip. Also it might give us an idea of just HOW far we might be falling if it fails..."
Lynn looks over the device. The lever has three positions west, east and straight up as it is positioned currently. She nods at Kala who works the control level first dragging it west.
The demonic face's mouth snaps shut with frightening speed. But that is all that happens.
Kala drags the lever to the east. As it passes through the middle position the mouth opens suddenly. When it finally arrives in the eastern position the mouth snaps closed again the visage conveyance descends smoothly down the well. The mechanism even though it is several millennia old works flawlessly as far as Lynn can tell... and perhaps that is the scariest thing of all.
Using the old Absalom method of counting seconds (One Absalom. Two Absalom. Three Absalom...) and waiting for the lift chain to stop moving the party figures it takes the device 30 Absaloms to reach the bottom.
The device rises when Kala pulls the lever to the west.