Galin points, "that's the one! I can't tell much about it but that's the magical key."
"Great job Dart! Now we have it if we need it. It looks like some sort of Transmutation aura, maybe binding it to a specific lock or locks."
She resets her light spell onto the broom for more convenient handling, and spends a couple minutes drying off the silk rope with prestidigitation before handing it back to Torian. "Here you go. Dart, would you like me to dry your clothes as well?"
Housekeeping taken care of, she looks at the southeastern door. "I admit I didn't expect there to be another path here. I thought this room would just lead to the entrance, like the room on the other side. I guess we should check out this door?" She looks it over for traps, not that she'd really be able to tell.
The door is locked, but otherwise appears mundane.
"Maybe the key wasn't for the golem after all. Makes sense I suppose."
With some trepidation Isabella inserts the key into the lock and tries again to open the door. Carefully.
The key doesn't even fit into the lock, the teeth are all wrong, it must go to a different lock.
Isabella blinks in surprise, looking down at the key in her hand. Wait, it doesn't fit?
"...Or maybe I spoke too soon, and this does still go to the golem." She looks helplessly back at the others. "We haven't found any other keys, have we?"
Torian gestures to the ten non magical keys Dart retrieved. "Pleny o' keys, lass. Naugh guarantee any o' th' lot 'ill work."
Isabella looks down at the pile. "I can't imagine that the regular keys go to anything. And frankly, I think it would be a waste of time to try. Let's just head back for now. We can try that door on the south wall of the golem room."
If there aren't any objections, she gingerly climbs back over the swords and makes her way to the southern door. She once again checks it for traps as best as she can before trying to open it.
Dart crosses his arms, and nods in agreement.
To be honest, I can't say I want to stand around here and spend another hour figuring out if any of the keys down there work at all. If we must, then we must, but way I see it we can be happy with this, and head forward again. After all, someones life may be on the clock. And while its quite curious ladies and gents, I think we would be better off leaving it for now.
The group make their way through the statue hallway to the Golem’s room. It lays there where it fell, shields laid beside it. The southern door does not appear to be trapped, but it is locked and Isabella tries the key in the keyhole. It slides in easily and turns as though it has been oiled recently. The door is unlocked. The door opens easily and quietly. Inside sits a decent sized solid table with 4 bags resting upon it. The bags have notes attached to the strings binding them with 4 names on them.
Wand of Cure Light wounds (10 Charges)
Scroll of Lesser Restoration
Note “I made Prast give you these, you need to treat him better, he cares about you.” Ironhame
Wand of magic missile (10 charges)
Scroll of Web
Note “Father gave me the money for these, use them as best you see fit, hope you’re having fun!” Garrett
Potion of Invisibility
Potion of Cure Light Wounds
Note “These should come in handy if you get in a tight spot. Your father would be proud of you.” Jimes
MW Living Steel Heavy Shield
Oil of Magic Weapon
Note “May this shield protect you as you protect others. Remember your duty.” Acton Marcath
The shield is a dark green shield of exquisite make with crest of house Marcath.
Wow, I might have to let off... Galin grins with joy for a little while, then shifts to a slightly more mischievous grin.
"Good ole Prast left some goodies for us. I think I can recover one of your strengths back. Torian, Dart, which of you needs the strength more?"
Isabella smiles as she looks at the wand and scroll. Oh Garrett...thank you so much for this. Turning the wand over in her fingers, she says, "At least if we run into any more shadows I'll be able to do something. And this scroll could help us trap something if we need to."
Breathing a sigh of relief, she looks around the room. "I'm guessing we all got similar goodies? I think recovering Torian's strength would be better, no offense Dart."
dart gives her a cock-eyed glance for a few seconds before grinning.
Yeah its no big deal, I can live without it. As long as you promise to carry me if I fall out from exhaustion. He gives a wink as he finishes his reply.
Torian takes out the green shield, whistling in appreciation of both the craftsmanship and the material.
"Liven' steel. Tha' naugh be cheap. Thank'e, da'."
He puts he old shield in between his pack and his back, and affixes the new one to his arm. The shape almost makes it look like an oddly fitted small coffin upon which a simple design has been sculpted: the hammer of Torag, upright, superimposed upon an anvil surface with an 'M' imprinted on it.
"Fer Clan Marcath!" He takes the oil and the note an places them reverently within his pack.
"Ye thin' 'e should ta'e Jihanna's bag 'nd brin' it back? Naugh much sense'n leaven' it fer a year."
Turning to Galin, he raises an eyebrow.
"Can ye affe't us both wi' th' spell?"
Galin shrugs, "well Torian, I can sure try, but I would hate to guarantee without having had experience with the spell itself."
Having heard Dart and Isabella discuss, "that sounds reasonable, Torian, I'm afraid you don't get a choice." Galin moves to read and cast the spell on Torian.
Torian sighs, frustrated at the news. As Galin approaches, he is about to object but catches the look in the eyes of his companions. "'ine, iffen' only t' be''er defend ye later."
"No promises, but I could try. Otherwise you'll have to throw yourself on Torian's tender mercies." Isabella gives into the childish impulse and sticks her tongue out at Dart. Gods, it feel good to joke around like this after everything that's happened.
Unfortunately, they can't afford to linger too long. Not without finding Dimira. "I guess that's all there is in this room. There is still one path we haven't checked, back near where Roldare is. Everyone fine with going that way?"
"No doubt you will friend, no doubt."
Looking around the room, "Yes, lets go check it. Maybe it will shed some light on the door at the pool room."
Torian nods. "'erhaps 'e should check up on 'im while 'e 're in th' area."
"Let's swing by Roldare's room then, and head for the new passage once we've confirmed he's still okay."
Heading back the way they'd originally come, she knocks softly on Roldare's door. "Roldare? We've cleared most of this floor. How are you doing?"
You hear scrabbling from inside the room as Roldare moves his barricade, cracks the door to look out at you and says, "Good, good have you passed the Pillar?" Roldare appears to have calmed down some, though it is hard to tell.
"I, uh, don't think so. There's still one passage we have left to check, and a locked door we weren't able to get through. What's the Pillar?"
"Shield yourselves from the Pillar behind the locked door, it won't kill you, but it could slow you down and you have to hurry, He has Dimira!" The door then slams and you hear scuttling and scraping from the other side of the door.
Dart shrugs well, I guess after going through what he did, he is already doing better than one would hope. He mutters before turning to continue on.
Welp. Let us not dally. Unlike many residents here, I, do not have an eternity of time.
"Indeed, onward we go."
Isabella nods and follows the others to the last remaining hallway.
The four of you head down the hall that you had passed earlier. Had it only been yesterday evening that they had come in this crypt? As you turn the corner, prepared for anything, you see a door. Strangely, it has no handle.
"No handle? Do we just push on it?" Isabella starts to move forward, then checks herself. "Actually, Dart you should probably check it for traps first." She quickly scans the door with Detect Magic as well. Just in case.
Torian shrugs, examining it.
"Some doors be haven' hidden latches 'n' th' li'e."
Galin peeks around the taller folks legs at the door, "good thinking Isabella. Do you see anything Torian?"
"This place is far more creepy than I thought it was going to be. I wonder if this is a foe of Kassen invading the tomb or just an opportunist."
Isabella looks over the door but gets no further information with her spell. Torian does not see any hidden latches or other visible mechanisms.
dart will look over the door, and if he sees no traps, will give it a push.
Torian shakes his head at Galin. "Iffen' they 're there, Eye'm naugh able t' see 'm from here."
Dart doesn't discover any malign elements to the door. He is able to get his tools for probing into the slit around the door and check for traps and the like around the door. No traps are detected, but he does find some sort of mechanism for latching the door that he can't see from this side.
With Dart confirming that there aren’t any traps, Isabella shoves on the door. Not that she really expects it to do anything, but out of sheer frustration. ”Who makes a door that can only be opened from one side?”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she says, ”Looks like we have to find a way through the locked door in the other room then. Let’s ask Roldare if he knows where the key is. If he doesn’t...Dart do you think you could open it the less-traditional way?
She proceeds to do just that, knocking on Roldare’s door with a bit more force than is actually necessary. ”Roldare, the door that leads to the Pillar. Where is the key?” Realizing she’s being too harsh, she tries to soften her voice. ”That’s the only door we haven’t gone through. But we need to find the key first.”
"Would it be in poor taste to try to break the door down? I know this is an old tomb of an honored hero... but we are trying to save someone here. Galin looks around at his companions with a shrug, not too committed to the idea.
The door doesn’t budge with Isabella’s prodding.
hmmmm... lemme see if I can't get any leverage on the mechanism at all while you do that. He states to Isabella
Dart takes his tools and begins trying to pick at the mechanism he felt in hopes of getting the door open. He isn't looking to force it, so if he feels he may be close to breaking anything, he will simply sigh and stop.
Roldare yells through the door without opening it, Shasin had the key, she was supposed to put it in the pit room, but I don't know if she did."
Dart works his tools around the latch and manages to open the door in the hallway. It opens up into a large circular room with a high ceiling. 2 other doors are visible, one on the other side of the room, and one to the south. In the middle of the room is a large pillar that rises from a round pit. The pillar is about 15 foot tall, and there is a small stone bridge to the pillar from the south. The pillar is of stone, and a first glance shows what might be small bumps, or possibly teeth similar to those found on clockwork gears, but quite small in relation to the size of the pillar. It is to far away to tell what those might be.
Torian cautiously looks past the open door toward the pillar. "So... shall'e jus' assume tha' th' pillar be a trappen' sorts 'nd move t' th' o'er doors?" He points at the pillar with his axe as he says this.
"Roldare said to 'shield ourselves from the Pillar.' That makes it sound like it's going to shoot things at us." Isabella eyes the room warily. "Maybe we should go grab those shields the golem dropped? That might be what they're for."
Galin thinks about the pillar and what hazard it might cause. "A shield might come in handy. I don't have one myself. Let's check those out before moving in."
Well, I have a buckler, but its a small thing compared to larger shields. Dart says while distracted.
Dart will look across the floor in the room, looking for anything that may be a pressure plate or sort of similar mechanism.
"Oh, I forgot you had a spare Torian," Galin straps his short spear on his pack, "I would use it in here at least if you don't mind sharing. I'll be glad to give it back afterward."
Torian nods, taking the shield from between the bag and his back and handing it to Galin.
"Aye lad, naugh li'e Eye'm gettin' much use from 'er on me back."
"Unfortunately I don't have a shield, nor would I know how to use one." Isabella looks frustrated with her own lack of ability. "I could throw acid at the thing from here, maybe damage whatever trap mechanisms are there. Dart, what do you think of that idea? You're the trap expert. Otherwise I guess I'll just crouch behind you guys."
Dart spends a couple minutes inspecting the floors and doesn't see any obvious triggers on the floor but it is hard to see details much more than 5-10 feet away from the doorway.
"'erhaps ye can use one o' them pillows we found a' th' entrance." He says to Isabella. Seeing that Dart doesn't give any indications of traps around the doorway, the dwarf takes a breath and steps inside the room.
Holding his shield between himself and the pillar, Torian cautiously moves along the edge of the room toward the southern door, stopping every few steps to check for anything suspicious.