Lillian looks over at Sif and pats her back "She's a complete waste of space. Ignore her. Or kill her. Either are fine with me."
Sif accepts the pat. "Long as she keeps herself in line, she's not worth my time. Septis seems to have a hold on her, basically. You ought to quit reacting to her, she's feeding off it...M'lady."
Lillian grinds her teeth "She gets under my skin! Did you see the way she handled me earlier!? That was not in line. It ws completely inappropriate and disrespectful! She needs to be taught a lesson Sif, a serious lesson."
Lillian grinds her teeth "She gets under my skin! Did you see the way she handled me earlier!? That was not in line. It ws completely inappropriate and disrespectful! She needs to be taught a lesson Sif, a serious lesson."
Sif sighs. "I know all about having a temper, and being annoyed. I also know that all you're doing when you let them get to you is hurting yourself, and giving them what they want. Haters gonna hate, m'lady. Don't let their sticks and stones break your bones. She's all jade, nothing you do to her will affect her attitude. She, however, has managed yours quite effectively. Just ignore the b%$~!!"
Lillians sighs "You're probably right, she just gets to me. I'll try to ignore her, but I swear to the Gods I might cut her tongue out if she doesn't relent."
Looking over at Sif she adds with a smirk "I'm hoping if it comes to that, you'll hold her still for me?"
Sif shrugs, suppressing a grin. "Maybe."
Victor was busy scanning the walls for any sign of those things coming through them to care about strange artwork on the floors. He notes Sif and Lillian whispering, but gives it little thought as most of his venom is quietly directed at Septis as he studies the ring his...servant thing...gave him.
When it is decided that you'll move forward, Lillian crosses the central room and reaches the northernmost door on the square corridor and notices it is locked. Examining the lock, Lillian finds no traps and is able to determine it is very old and somewhat rusted.
The nobles stay behind on the central room.
Septis looks to the door then to the others before asking "Anyone good with locks? Otherwise, we may need to use some brute force..."
"Let me take a look." Lillian says, moving up to take a look at the lock. Crouching and examining it, she starts to go work on it and says "Give me just a moment.".
As Lillian starts to work on the lock, she discovers it not to be that difficult to open but is somewhat time-consuming as many components of the lock are old and quite rusted, taking her about 5 minutes. Beyond the locked door, you find a stone wall with an obvious pressure plate that, once pressured, opens a secret door into a far bigger room.
Pristine glass display cases stand along the walls and in the center of this immense rectangular display room. The area is more than sixty feet wide and forty feet long, with the outer walls covered in glass displays of armor, save near the two northern doors and along the southern wall. Two rusted and decayed suits of armor stand separate, protected in glass cases. Tarnished and discolored weaponry fills the cases in the center of the room. Circles of various sizes have been scratched into the glass and drawn on the walls with chalk and paint, quite similar to the ones you've already found beneath the table in the previous room.
You notice the weapons and armor stored here hail from a dozen different historical eras, and have been labeled with faded and crumbling tags tied to each with twine. One obvious case holds a finely crafted light crossbow whose brass fittings still glint like new. A simple brass plaque inside the case labels it "Dignity’s Barb."
Lillian whistles. "Looks like there are some lost treasures in here. " she says, looking around. "See yourself in any of these, Victor?" she asks at the various suits of armor.
"Hey." she remarks, pointing to a crossbow. "I know that name. Just an hour ago we were looking at a replica and hearing the history. Supposedly General Gerefein and in his most famous act turned the tide of a vicious battle with a Kellid warlord. Hmm."
She moves up to the case to try and extract the weapon. If unable to find a way to do so, she turns to Sif and asks "Would you mind?" intending for the tiefling to smash the case.
Sif walks up to the case with the crossbow and picks it up without saying anything, slipping it over her shoulder. Score!
Sif narrows her eyes at Lillian. Spill the beans why don't ya.
She smashes the butt of her spear into the case.
As Lillian touches the display case and looks for a way to extract the crossbow and Sif smashes it into pieces, you hear the sound of metal rasping against metal coming from both the east and west. To your surprise, the old and rusted sets of armor move as if possessed of some sort spirit and smash their respective display cases with their gauntlets! The empty helms look at you and their greaves steps forward...
One of the armors march towards Sif and Lillian while the other one goes for Victor.
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Round 1
Septis > Lillian > Victor > Liloria > Sif > Armors
Seeing the suits of armor come to life after the girls disturb one of the display cases Septis just shakes his head. He looks to Lil and then nods toward the girls "Go help them." while he begins intoning arcane words as he works a detailed spell.
Lil rolls her eyes and shrugs then saunters over to the suit of armor, extending her claws to slash at the suit of armor.
Lillian frowns when the armor animates "I guess they aren't that old after all!"
Pulling out her dagger and slashes at the animated piece of metal, shouting at it and trying to intimidate it "Oh, you are so screwed!"
Sif steps back from the suit of armor, cringing. She says, "C'mon guys, we can take these old piles of scrap!", magical inspiration accompanying her words.
”I don’t think so...they are all so rusted...I don’t thi-“ he is cut off but he smashing of glass behind him as Sif breaks the case. Then he is caught by surprise by the armor coming to life as well! He lashes out with his blade clumsily as he steps back to get his bearings!
Circling the eastern armor, Liloria manages to smash its back and almost knocks it out of balance but it remains standing. She feels nothing inside the armor though. Meanwhile, Lillian looks for a gap in the armor and upon finding it she also finds nothing inside, wasting her stab. As Sif steps back and yells words of encouragement, Victor has trouble to even get a hold on his blade and hits a nearby glass display instead of the animated armor in front of him.
The armor surrounded by the girls steps forward, its visor closed upon Sif and after steping towards her, it is able to strike her stomach with one of its gauntlets, while the second slam goes wide. The armor facing Victor also hits his stomach, but in his case his breastplate deflects the blow. He has no difficult to dodge the second slam.
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Round 2
Septis > Lillian > Victor > Liloria > Sif > Armors
Armor 2
Victor regains his bearings now that the surprise is passed. He strikes out with more control with his next swing.
Septis finishes his spell as a evil looking eagle appears out of thin air opposite Victor and unleashes a flurry of attacks on the suit of armor in front of him.
Septis steps away form the thing behind him to get some space and then conjures some acid to fling at the one on Victor.
Lil steps up, following the suit of armor to attack.
"Sif, if you wouldn't mind letting me step up there, that would be great." she asks.
Sif steps back, making room for Lillian. Her powerful muscles flex, driving the spear into the suit of armor that punched her.
The room rings with the sound of Victor hitting the armor with his falcata but aside from that, nothing happens, while the fiendish eagle summoned by Septis attacks frenetically... one of its attacks does some damage while the others just brushes against the armor.
While Lillian and Liloria somewhat dance around the armo looking for the best way to strike it, Sif loses her patience and completely pierces the armor with her spear, making it stop immediately and soon fall into the ground as a simple armor.
The remaining armor punches Victor two more times, with one of its gauntlets slamming against face and the other against his chest and once more being stopped by his armor.
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Round 3
Septis > Lillian > Victor > Liloria > Sif > Armors
Armor 2
Septis moves to the side of the glass to get a clear line of sight to the remaining armor before conjuring more acid to toss at it.
His fiendish eagle continues to attack the armor as well.
With the one down, Lil gives Sif a 'good job' nod before moving down to the other armor and batting at it with her claws.
With one armor down, Lillian flashes past Septis on her way across the room to move into flanking position with Victor. She gives him a nod, telling him she's ready to strike.
Victor grasps his jaw with his free hand briefly before reeling back and then twisting off the hit to his breastplate to bring his blade down at what normally a weak point in the armor!
As Septis's eagle tears down the last suit of animated armor he has a big grin on his face as he notes "Those fiendish eagles can be brutal!" He looks around to the others "We all good? I'm assuming those were some sort of defense for this room to safegaurd the items here. Now that they have been dispatched hopefully there aren't any other surprises. We should take anything that might prove useful. Maybe arm our friends that we are escorting just to give them a little extra protection?"
Taking a look at the old equipment displayed, you discover most of the armor and weaponry here is rusted and neglected. Among the display cases are a beautiful hand axe of ulfen design that bears the dragon on its head and a round shield bearing the lion of Taldor as it was commonly depicted hundreds of years ago . Another case contains the alchemical lab of famed natural philosopher Dumos Fatomax, including a portable alchemist’s lab, three potions of cure light wounds with labels barely readable, and a potion of bull’s strength. However, the relic weapon Dignity’s Barb is the greatest treasure in the entirety of the sublevels for sure. Brass inlay and Taldan military symbols adorn this masterwork darkwood light crossbow. An inscription bears the name of General Gerefein of the Seventh Army of Exploration.
"Well clearly those armors aren't going to do, I think I'd be too afraid to put one of them on after that. How abou that shield though? That looks like it's in decent shape still?"
Lillian walks and picks up the crossbow from the case Sif shattered, taking a look at it. "Not bad, not bad at all. This is a real find locked away in here. It was probably lost to time I'd imagine."
Victor scans the others to make sure they are okay, then goes and tests the weight of the shield. It was a bit heavier than he liked, but would do the job well enough. He straps it onto his left arm before turning to the others and saying ”Everyone. Find what you can that is usable, then let’s keep moving,” his military training coming to the fore.
Septis takes a look at the various items they find are magical as he notes "The handaxe is magical but I'm not completely sure of its properties, while the shield is enchanted for extra protection. The crossbow emanates magic, but whatever properties it has seem to be dormant."
"Cool. We should definitely take that stuff. Let's keep moving," Sif says, walking over to one of the doors leading out of the room and opening it.
"Magic? Of course, that makes complete sense given what its supposed accomplishments are." She gives pause at the second part "I didn't know magic could go dormant. How do we bring it back?"
While Lillian discusses with Septis about the specifics of a dormant magic item, Sif moves north towards the northwestern door, revealing a rectangular room that appears to host a celebration frozen in time. Gaudy nobles crowd the corners of the room, all of which are dressed in ostentatious and pretentious fashions. Tremendous wigs soar toward the ceiling, each covered in thick layers of dust and old cobwebs. A larger gaggle fills the center of the chamber, each aristocrat presenting a jovial or mocking leer as it stares out blankly. One of the figures is sprawled on the floor; overlapping circles cut into its waxen chest and face.
Sif casts detect magic and concentrates for several seconds while looking over the room.
Septis shrugs to Lillian "I may need to do some research on it. It must be a pretty powerful weapon though for something like that to happen. When we get out of this mess, I'll see what I can find out."
Victor will follow Sif into the next room, looking over the frozen nobles curiously. ”What...what is going on here?”
Septis follows behind "It looks to be some sort of wax display maybe?"
Sif detects a faint magical aura on one of the less sizable wigs.
Meanwhile, Victor confirms that the figures are indeed made of wax and imagines some of the clothing articles and jewelry might be worthy something if you take a couple minutes to inspect everything.
Sif walks over and retrieves the magical wig. "I don't know what this does, but it's some kind of magic item."
Septis will take a closer look at it to see if he can't identify the magical properties.
Septis shrugs not knowing what the wig is. "I can try and examine it again later. Let's keep looking for an exit for now. We can always come back and see if any of this jewelry is worth anything once we have secured a means of getting out of here."
Septis nods Lil over to the door to the east and she moves to open it for him.
Sif nods in agreement and goes to the other door with Lil.