As Jaeqil's fingers touch the lever, the cloud lets out an angry crackle and flares to life!
Round 1! Bold may act!
Tabin
Rolf
Primketh
Elemental
Jaeqil
Tabin moves closer and fires a shot at the elemental.
"Angry Sparky! No Sparky No!" Rolf shouts. Almost as fast as Tabin, Rolf lifts his crossbow and pulls the trigger, careful to aim and not hit his companion.
for
After firing, Rolf steps to the side of Primkith, wary of lining up so perfectly for a blast of electric energy.
Primketh darts forward and touches Tabin with guidance. As the elemental flashes with angry light, Tabin and Rolf instinctively glance away and their projectiles clatter harmlessly on the floor. The elemental swipes at the creature that dared touch the lever...
...and Jaeqil's petals stand on end as electricity flashes through his body to the floor.
Round 1, 2! Bold may act!
Tabin (Guidance)
Rolf
Primketh
Elemental
Jaeqil (-5)
Tabin tries his shot once more. Someday he's manage to hit something. Hopefully when that day comes it would actually be what he was aiming at. He remembers the guidance that was given to him this time...
Jaeqil shakes himself off and grips his club, a look of anger in his eyes at the elemental.
”Hard way it is, then!”
Rolf furrows his brow and wrinkles his nose, annoyed at the ineffectiveness of his ranged weapon. He steps forward, past Primketh and Tabin in order to make sure the elemental can see him. The ulfen glares at the elemental, nostrils flaring and his face flushed.
The elemental flinches as Tarbin's arrow whistles through it, then dissipates in a cloud of purple sparks as Jaeqil brings his club down in a mighty blow!
The chamber stands quiet now, all signs of electricity having disappeared with the elemental's death.
Jaeqil turns towards Primketh, a number of leaves falling from his body. "Cat, some help? That thing hit hard."
The ghoran then pulls the lever!
Primketh recites some magic words and moves his paw in a somatic incantation, then touches Jaeqil, healing his recent wounds.
"This tower is feeling more and more dangerous; I think I'll increase my defenses."
As Jaeqil pulls the lever down, the gears of the machine behind it begin to spin. A chain running from a hollow along the ceiling starts loudly winding itself up onto a large spool on one side of the machine. After almost a minute, the machine stops and the noise dies down. Aside from the now-spooled chain, nothing seems to have changed.
"That was hairy." Rolf says, a grin on his face while he pumps his bushy eyebrows up and down.
"There must be a door open somewhere that wasn't before. Pearhaps theis eis the ridge we saw on the ceiling?" Rolf suggests.
Just to be thourough, Rolf casts detect magic again and does a quick scan of the room, making sure they haven't left anything behind before following the more burly members of the cadre back down the hall to see what changes have happened with the pulled lever.
Rolf does not detect anything magical in the room, nor does he notice any changes outside the room as the adventurers depart.
The adventurers stand around in awkward silence for a few seconds.
"Come, let us see eif strange ridge in ceiling eis different." Rolf beckons his companions. They head back through the cell block, to the hallway where they first noticed the strange ridge.
Jaeqil will beckon to his companions to steel themselves and open the door ahead of them.
The adventurers do not notice any noticeable changes in the dungeon as they leave the cell blocks behind. The unopened door is not locked, but is stuck.
Jaeqil is able to persuade the door to open and reveal the room beyond. There can be little doubt what purpose this chamber once served. The dank room stores an ancient rack, a fanciful brazen bull, an iron maiden, a cauldron, iron chairs with sharp edges and cruel protuberances, and a wooden table upon which sit various implements of torture. A bronze plaque affixed to the western wall depicts a crowing rooster above crossed spears. Underneath the spear, a short phrase is inscribed: Confession Cleanses the Soul - Pain Clarifies the Mind.
A charming voice speaks, though no source is visible "Come, traveler," it croons. "You look weary. Rest yourself in one of the chairs provided here." Jaeqil feels a force behind the words...
...and he marches over and takes a seat. As the chair cuts into his legs, his head clears and he sees a raven perched atop the rooster plaque. It clears its throat and addresses the group. "Greetings, fine citizens of your glorious empire! So good to have visitors, though I fear I have no refreshments to offer. I assume you are here for the treasure. Well, I'd be happy to assist - provided you give me what I require! It has been so long since I was able to ply my trade. I ask only that each of you shed your life's blood in this room - simply take a seat in one of my lovely chairs, as your companion has already."
Jaeqil struggles desperately within the chair that he has been confined to .
"What the hell?! What do you think you're doing, you damn bird?! Who the hell are you?!"
Rolf looks at the bird with supreme curiosity. He mulls over the raven's words while rolling a small carrot between his fingers. Sliding his hands into the folds of his robe, he allows Gis, his arctic hare familiar to nibble on the morsel.
"My blood eis very valuable to me. I should like to know what value you offer ein return. Promise of treasure eis good, but what eif I don't like your sheiny bubbles? Money eis good, but not always worth the price to get it."
Rolf straightens his shoulders and looks up at the mystical creature, waiting expectantly for what will likely be a cryptic answer.
If a raven could shrug, it would look like this one as it replies, "Apparently it's worth less to me, since I'm willing to practically give it away in return for nothing. Look at your friend - he's fine!"
"'Fine'?!"
"And what exactly eis trade of yours? I have to say, you have my einterest at the peak." Rolf grins, rubbing his hands together.
Tabin carefully considers the raven's answer with a skeptical ear.
Again the raven shrugs. "Gold, jewels, things I'm certain you adventuring types would like," it says noncommittally. "I'll be happy to tell you more once you've had a seat."
Tarbin doesn't sense anything wrong with the raven's answer - it's an odd trade, but a straightforward one.
Rolf considers the raven's words. I may be weakling at throwing stones, but not so weak in magic. Raven eis crafty, but pearhaps he does not be knowing just who he eis dealing weith.
Rolf nods, no more words needing to be said. He locks eyes with the raven, staring the bird down and measuring him up. I weill play your game. Just do not be sad when I wein. he says with his eyes. The ulfen approaches a chair and turns. He grits his teeth and sits down like a king sits on his throne, continuing to stare hard at the raven.
Tabin figured they should all agree or none of them. So he waited to see what the others said.
As Rolf sits, the chair cuts into his thighs - but he would swear the raven smiled with a cruel glint in its eye before turning back to Tabin and Primketh. "Well?" it says. "I'm afraid I can't give it away to only some of you - it has to be everyone, or nothing. Plenty of seats left to choose from."
Jaeqil pulls out his club points it angrily at the raven.
"You're going to tell me what you did to me or the chairs aren't going to be the only thing here that'll do damage!"
Tabin will agree if Primketh does.
"Treasure for blood? sounds to me like the way adventuring seems to work anyway, only more...um, streamlined? Either way, I'm too intrigued." Primketh watches as his two companions sit (whether reluctantly or willingly), shrugs, and takes a seat in one of the lovely chairs.
With the other three agreeing and subjecting themselves to the chairs, Tabin felt it was his duty to join them, whatever might happen.
As the two last adventurers take a seat, the raven cackles with delight. "Right over there is a secret door. The passage beyond leads to the treasure room - but it's locked with a most ingenious device. The key should be somewhere in all that clutter on the table." As the adventurers stand and approach the table, the raven vanishes.
"You...I...What?"
”Meowch!” Primketh winces as the chair cuts into his skin. He stands up and asks, ”How badly is everyone hurt? That was more painful than I thought.”
While waiting for his companions to answer, Primketh begins pawing through the clutter on the table, looking for a key.
"Bah. The raven eis crafty, no?" Rolf says, rubbing the superficial cuts on this back and legs. "I have feeling ein my gut that raven eis actually Hunclay. Theis place eis not normal. Of course, he always was wanting to knock tower down, so maybe not? Whatever eis going on, that weill not be last time we hear from black bird."
Rolf looks around at the door and the pile of keys to see if he can help Primketh find the proper one.
The adventurers search through the pile of torture implements, but none of them find anything resembling a key. Suddenly, Rolf slaps a hand to his neck as a tiny winged creature with a scorpion tail cackles maniacally in his ear.
The creature that stung you is an imp, a type of devil. They have fiendishly thick skin, but good-aligned or silver weapons can pierce it.
The mithral daggers you found earlier act like silver weapons.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Tabin (-4)
Rolf (-2)
Jaeqil (-3)
Primketh (-4)
Harzogopas
"Garahch!" Rolf curses, furrowing his eyebrows and rubbing the sore on his neck, throbbing from the poison most certainly coursing through it.
The ulfen steps back from the table, ducking underneath the tiny offender, raising an eyebrow at the little creature.
"Blasted Eimp! Back to nine hells weith you, leettle devil! Use Seilver or good weapons on leetle beetch of devil! Meethreel works leik seilver!" he gasps, annoyed at the intrusion during their search.
”I don’t mean to say ‘I told you so,’ BUT THIS IS WHY WE DON’T TRUST RANDOM TALKING RAVENS!!! And Rolf, one word: Enunciate! Now’s the time to play some imp baseball!”
Jaeqil swings right at the imp—and by extent Rolf; he doesn’t care if he hits him by accident, the Ulfen needs to be taught not to trust strange sadistic birds.
Once again, I saw this coming! But why couldn’t I warn the others? Ack, I should just get out of Tabin’s way.
Primketh seems to be lost in thought for a moment. As he regains clarity he steps out of Tabin’s way and casts a spell (guidance) on the Halfling.
Able to fire around his companions effectively, Tabin takes aim at the creature with an arrow from close range.
The imp seems rather taken aback and distracted by Rolf's glare as it dodges Jaeqil's club. "What's base-ball?" it says curiously. "A ball of bases? Hmm, not telling are we? Not to worry - we'll get the truth out of you yet!" It screeches maniacally as Tarbin's arrow strikes true, but simply falls to the floor broken on the imp's fiendish skin. The imp cackles to match Rolf, flits away from the ghoran, and disappears.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Tabin (-4)
Rolf (-2)
Jaeqil (-3)
Primketh (-4)
Harzogopas (-2 AC 0/7)
”Rolf! Quick! Where’d you stash those daggers?” Primketh steps over to Rolf, looking for one of the mithral daggers. Primketh then hands a dagger to Tabin.
"Hahaha!" Rolf chuckles, his accent even affecting that sound. The echo of his voice is unnerving to the little devil. "See? I tell you that you weill not wein! Now we keill you and steill take treasure!"
"Jaeqil, here take theis dagger," Rolf draws the blade from his belt and holds it out for the plant-man. "Rolf eis strong, and speaks clearly for all to hear, but pearhaps you are stronger. Theis weill cut devil skin best!"
Tabin puts his bow away and waits for the creature to make an appearance.
Jaeqil scowls as he flat-out ignores the dagger.
”I don’t need your help for this little pixie!”
He moves over to where he last saw the imp and swings with reckless abandon!
Jaeqil's club hits the ground as the imp reappears, its tail caught in the ghoran's vine-like hair. Pulling itself free, the imp cackles and shrieks, "Ball! Base! You will tell all! Clear the mind and cleanse the soul!"
Round 3! Bold may act!
Tabin (-4)
Rolf (-2)
Jaeqil (-3)
Primketh (-4)
Harzogopas (-2 AC 1/7)
Primketh casts guidance again and moves around to touch Jaeqil to deliver the spell.