Pavo turns on the lights and inspects the area around the shield indicated by Ayalina. "Maybe there's a hidden key hole for that other key," he muses.
Tiber bangs his fist against the wall. Ultimately, he looks about as well, inspecting the glowing shield and trying to remember if there was another shield like it. Bah, I need to calm down. No use letting a wall frustrate me. I've enough stressors as it is right now.
________
Frowning, Ayalina pauses and says, "Don't stop touching the spot. Let me see if anything has changed over there." With that, she hikes up her skirts and jogs back to the crystal.
"What is that coat of arms? Did we see it elsewhere?" Delena thinks aloud as she looks at the shield Ayalina showed them.
"I don't even myself believe this would work, but let's try anyway," she says and casts a light spell on the shield.
Action: Cast light on the shield.
Startled by the flash of light and alarmed at the way the crystal ball suddenly dims, Ayalina pokes it before trying to gently wiggle it a bit. "Is there a way to turn this off and on again?" she mutters. She tries pulling that removable piece out and replacing it once more.
If nothing changes, she'll frown, but return to the others to report her findings.
Shaking her head, Ayalina goes back to the storage room, frowning. "The crystal ball went completely dark. I have no idea what's going on."
"Oh that, I just tested a thing," Delena says and dismisses her spell.
"It doesn't work by lighting up a just that part, it turns the ball off. Still it seems to have something to do with the lights. What was the light setup when we first came here? I suppose it had to be the same when the previous inhabitant left. I would turn everything off, or everything except the entry room, but I've long ago lost my trust in the sanity of the builder of this place."
Pavo's shoulders slump as touching the indicated shield accomplishes nothing and nothing mechanical is found in the highlighted area.
"I'm happy to activate switches--just tell me where you want me to stand and what you want me to do--until I starve to death," he says glumly.
Thalasou laughs at Pavo's comment. Well, we won't starve to death. We can make all the magical food we need. But I think we'll die of boredom soon."
Thalasou considers the lit shield. "Delena, you did that? What happens if you undo that magical light on the shield. I wonder if it will light up in the ball again. Let's try your suggestion of turning off all of the lights too. Then we'll see what the ball shows."
"I'm trying to figure out if this whole light and exit thing was supposed to be a puzzle -- something meant to keep people in -- or if it was just the mechanism you are supposed to use to get out and we just can't figure it out. Maybe it will make perfect sense once we do."
"It should have some sense to it. Let's try switching everything off, then slapping that spot on the wall. Also, let's try switching everything except this room off and same thing", Delena says, clearly getting frustrated.
"I'll also try putting my mystic light on the spot on every try if hand-slapping doesn't work. Something must work, but this might take a while so eat some more fish-apples while we go on."
Action: Just that. Exhausting possibilities. Turn everything off, try touching the symbol. Then cast light on it. If didn't work, dismiss light. Then, repeat everything but leave lights on in the storage room. And again similar stuff for different light configurations until going insane...
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The party eventually figures out that someone has to continuously watch the crystal ball while someone else activates the fresco, and sets up a relay chain to communicate between the two people. Once the process is completed, a secret compartment opens in the fresco, revealing a bag of 20 coins. And the coins do seem to fit the wall niche in the senator's chamber.
"Finally!" Delena rejoices as the fresco opens.
She takes one coin and fiddles it with her fingers. "Seems to be a focus, with conjuration aura. Could be teleportation. Looking good", she says smiling. She walks to the wall niche, still holding the coin. "All ready? Or does someone want to stay here eating fish-apples?" she smirks.
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When Delena drops a coin in the niche, a shimmering doorway appears through the wall. Each person feels the effects differently when they pass through. Tiber feels like he has to burp, only he doesn't. Delena gets dizzy for a moment and Thalasou's whole body breaks out in goosebumps.
Everyone seems okay though, and still together. The first staircase leads steeply down, then a long, wide set of stairs climbs slowly to a dead end. At the bottom of the first stairs, you find a hooded lantern flickering with a blue light, and at the top of the second stairs, you find an elaborate brass lever in the wall.
"Good work, Ayalina!" Pavo says with relief as they find the coins sized to fit the niche in the master bedroom. "I was about ready to lose my mind."
Once Delena opens the portal, he says, "Finally!"
He then immediately groans when confronted with a nearly dead-end stair way. "Please let that be a simple two-point switch."
"Everyone ready for... what is likely to be another puzzle at this rate?" he asks.
Tiber's brow furrows as he passes through the wall, but he quickly regains his composure. Marching up the stairs, he nods his head to Pavo and raises his shield. "Simple is best, let's do this," he says. He flexes and curls the fingers of his empty hand in anticipation.
"I'm just glad Delena remembered where to make use of it," she admits, equally relieved. "I was starting to be paranoid we were going to be trapped forever!"
Following along with the others, she pauses at the hooded lantern, seemingly impressed by its color. "A continual flame," she mutters. [b]"Maybe our guesses for this place weren't so far off."
--
"What, and you wouldn't like to spend eternity just with us?" Delena says, grinning.
She looks at the lantern, thinking, but when Ayalina says what it is, Delena comments: "Of course. The colour just messes up with the usual arcane signature."
The scroll book in hand she nods to Tiber and Pavo. "All ready. Go on and take the first hit".
Pavo draws his procured rapier and speaks a short rhyme to summon the quartet of dancing lanterns around his head. "Fresh-er blood?" he queries. "Must be closer to the chaos from last night."
Move: Draw rapier
Standard: Cast dancing lights
"Gods above," Ayalina inhales sharply at the sight. She draws her own point before approaching to investigate, pausing before her skirts would risk touching the pool. "That riot must've gotten into quite the frenzy to kill a nobleman!"
--
Tiber rolls his shoulders and keeps his shield ready. "Stay on alert. I'll check it out," he declares, carefully closing the gap. Next to the corpse, he rolls it over with his foot. Shit. "Very dead. Claw marks. Something must be loose," he whispers urgently, looking around for any other signs of a foe.
________
No perception rolled, I'm assuming the heal check was an action. Moved 30ft directly west.
"Maybe I should have prepared the armor spell this morning", Delena mutters as he looks at the dead nobleman.
"Ayalina, did you already forget? It started by a kill of a nobleman. Nobleman of few minutes, but still".
Shivering, Ayalina shakes her head. "He seemed like a gentle soul, too," she murmurs. "But even so, there was a clearly stated reason." Remembering the speech they'd heard just before the chaos broke out, she grimaced. "But you may be right. He could've just been on the wrong side of the political aisle."
She summons her own quartet of dancing lights above the body to better illuminate it.
--
to see if she recognizes who this was.
Thalasou peeks into the dark room. As the light splashes across the pool of blood and the nobleman he gasps. "Oh no." Without thinking he steps to the body. Bending down after Tiber rolls the body over he examines it. "Yep. Claw wounds. Have any of you seen wounds like this? Do you recognize this?" He points out the parallel rips in the skin. Maybe someone with more experience in the wild would be able to tell something.
Tiber takes a moment to look again at the claw marks. Can't always tell what made the marks, but, then again, sometimes you can. Still ready for danger, he cautiously moves further down the hallway and draws his kukri from the small of his back, but stays well within the light radiating from the multiple orbs.
________
^^^Just in case Thalasou's idea works.
Standard to survival the claw marks, move 20ft ?north? from original location. His route takes him through the body's square if it matters.
Pavo sends his lanterns to the opposite corner and then moves toward the corpse, drawing the abandoned rapier along the way.
"I don't have today such handy moving lights" Delena says and walks closer to Ayalina. Then, she gets an idea: "Wait, I kind of do. Disriana, this might feel a bit strange". She touches the viper around her neck, who starts glowing. "Curl close to the claw marks, my darling", she instructs and the viper crawls to the body, illuminating it.
"Ayalina, or the right side. The history will decide which side is right, but only after the dust settles. Often it is the side that is left", she says with a hinting smile.
Standard: Cast light on Disriana
Move: Move
Disriana:
Move: Move
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Ayalina doesn't recognize the noble's face or sigil, but Tiber definitely notices some information in the wounds. The scratches are grouped in fives, with one always set a little wider and sometimes angling differently. "See those marks there and there?" Tiber points to two specific scratches, one on the left of a grouping, one on the right of a different grouping. "Those are thumbs. This wasn't an animal."
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CR 2
Walcofindes manifest after being intentionally walled into a structure alive. They can possess the connected walls of that structure, and have extended reach while doing so.
Round 1
Effects dim light/darkness outside [light] spells
Terrain none
Delena
Pavo
Thalasou
Yellow
Tiber
Ayalina
The wall beyond Tiber suddenly comes alive, or a creature comes alive inside the wall. The two seem one and the same, but either way, it surprises everyone and clearly tries to claw out Tiber's throat.
"Not an animal?" Thalasou stands up as he repeats Tiber's words with nervousness in his voice. He looks around the room but the pervasive darkness keeps him from seeing much.
"I don't have a light so I'll have to stick close to one of you guys." He walks towards the group.
Pavo rushes around the corner. "What is that?"
He keeps an eye on the walls around him, ready to defend himself.
Move: Move 20 ft
Standard: Fight Defensively (+2 dodge to AC = 17/T14/FF12)
"It's a walcofinde! Something was buried in that wall, now it can possess the wall and attack, it can reach further you'd expect!" Delena warns the team. She retreats herself further from the wall and draws her dagger ready. "Disriana, come back", she commands and the viper slithers to her and back up around her neck.
Delena stands ready to stab the creature if it reaches closer.
Move Move & draw dagger
Standard Ready attack (if the walcofinde comes to reach)
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Round 1-2
Effects dim light/darkness outside [light] spells
Terrain none
Yellow
Tiber
Ayalina
---Round 2---
Delena
Pavo
Thalasou
Delena instantly identifies the creature, then moves where she hopes it can't attack her. Thalasou and Pavo move closer, but the bard makes sure to keep his rapier ready to parry.
The walcofinde reaches for Tiber twice more, but the ranger has little trouble dodging the clumsy attacks.
"A walco-what?!" Tiber calls back as he blocks a claw and side steps another. "Long arms? That's it?" he asks before snapping his shield forward and delivering a short slice with his knife. "Can I kill it with these?!"
________
"I hope so," Pavo says as he moves past the ranger. "This is all I have."
He stabs at the wall-bound demon.
Move: Move 25 ft
Standard: Attack
Thalasou hears the clash of combat from around the corner and immediately a surge of anxiety flow through his body. He moves to the corner. Seeing his friends in trouble he calls out to Alseta, requesting her divine favor.
Move and then cast bless
"A dead thing, just smack it," Delena simplifies her instructions.
She moves behind Tiber, still ready to hit the creature if it comes out of the wall.
Move Move
Standard Ready attack (if the walcofinde comes to reach)
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Round 2-3
Effects bless, dim light/darkness outside [light] spells
Terrain none
Yellow - 6 damage
Tiber -
Ayalina -
---Round 3---
Delena -
Pavo - 9 damage
Thalasou -
Tiber's shield clangs against the stone ineffectively, while the undead easily dodges the kukri. Ayalina freezes up, but Delena soldiers forward to help her martial allies, and Pavo takes a scratch on his arm getting close enough to stab the walcofinde in its shoulder. Thalasou rounds the corner with his hands held high and shining, and suddenly his allies seem to shine, too.
Finding the bard both more dangerous and vulnerable than the ranger, the creature turns its attention to Pavo with a vicious claw to the face.
Shaking her head, Ayalina forces herself to focus, eyeing their enemy.
"Be careful! They're not like other undead - they're smart!" she warns. "They recover quickly in their sealed chambers, too." Without further information to contribute, she brings up the first few bars of an encouraging song in her mind and begins to sing as she moves up next to Delena..
Standard: bardic performance (inspire courage)
Movement: moves 15 ft up and to the left
"Gah, how do you fight something in a wall?" Tiber complains as his flurry of attacks only leave marks across the wall. As the undead leaves a gash across Pavo's shoulder, he finds that the bard's suffering isn't as satisfying as he envisioned. "Don't be a fool, back up if you need to," he offers with only the slightest bit of reluctance.
________
Full-attack!
Looks like Pavo will continue to be more dangerous!
"Ah! Not the face!" he cries as the the wall-bound ghoul tears at him with its claws. He stabs at the walcofinde once more. "I would be happy to withdraw, but someone has to do something productive."
He takes a cautious step back from the wall.
Standard: Attack
Other: 5-ft step
Thalasou instinctively reaches to his belt where he normally has his crossbow attached. It's missing. Oh! They took it at the start of the gala. Not knowing what else to do, he races up to Tiber and touches him on the back.
"Shaaaalouthouu, keyahnahn Tiberazhaneeel"
"I'm giving you guidance, Tiber."
He says something quietly, under his breath, and makes a quick gesture on Tiber's back.
Move and cast guidance.
"இறவாத, Thalasou,
குணப்படுத்தும் மந்திரங்கள் அதை காயப்படுத்துகின்றன!" Delena shouts, sounding annoyed.
"Undead, Thalasou, heal spells hurt it!"
She moves beside Tiber and distracts the creature with her dagger to give Tiber a better opening for attack.
Move Move
Standard Aid another (attack)