The giant tubular sea creature finally collapses from its grievous wounds. Suddenly, the coral hills and other features commonly found at the sea's bottom disappear. The once clear blue water is revealed to be black and grimy.
We are off Initiative. To recap, there are two exits: one to the west (bottom of the screen) and one to the east (top of the screen).
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
The entire place has the powerful lingering aura of ancient illusion magic, and there's also the residual aura of whatever unknown magic allows for the water and air tunnel to remain in place, but nothing is hidden in the water.
Dat:
You don't notice anything when you extend your senses at the eastern door. At the western door, your spirit senses don't pick up anything, but you can easily hear the sound of some sort of large groaning, creaking, mechanism in the room. There's also a loud "ticking" sound at regular intervals.
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
Deldri opens the eastern door, revealing a small corridor that leads to two additional doors. Dat tries to open the western door, but no luck--it's locked.
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
You don't hear anything behind the door to the east. You do hear movement and click-clacking in the door to the south. Someone has suggested opening the door to the east first, so to move us along I'm going to assume that happens.
When the door to the east is opened, you see a bare stone room containing four beds, a work table, and a small shelf of ancient books. Dominating the north side of the room is a massive mechanical apparatus: its main feature, a single stone block the size of a horse, hangs fifteen feet above a carpet of shattered bones, rock dust, and other debris. A chain as thick as a human thigh runs up from the block into a small, dark cavity in the ceiling. Two short stone ledges situated on either side of the stone block form a shallow container for whatever happens to get crushed beneath the smashing device. Flush against the device is a large wooden wheel with numerous pegs; the wheel is attached to a crank fitted to a chain that runs parallel to the one attached to the stone block.
Spackle surveys the room. "Mighten be this'd be what kept everythin' goin'? Let's be careful. Looks like it's ready ta come down at any minute." The gnome tries to keep a wary eye out to any possible dangers to room or machine may hold.
You're familiar with devices like this, often called a "stamping mill." They're used for tasks like pulverising stone for mortar, pulp for paper, bones for bone meal, and grain for feed.
On the worktable, a search turns up the equivalent of a masterwork set of thieves’ tools, a masterwork dagger, and an ornate hourglass the size of a fist filled with sapphire dust and etched with Azlanti runes. Hidden beneath one of the beds is a pair of supple leather boots. Inside one of the boots is a sturdy iron key.
Dat:
The boots are magical. You can roll Spellcraft to try to identify them.
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
The boots are indeed magical--with a Spellcraft check, you can try to identify them. Looking at the runes, they seem to be decorative inscriptions about the sands of time.
Male N Salt Mephit | Buffs: | HP 41/41|DR 5/Magic| FH 2 Arid Env|AC 25 T 14 FF 22|CMB +5 CMD 18|F +4 R +5 W +7|Init +6|PER +14 DV 60' SM+1|30' Fly 40'+18 Stealth+20|Improved Evasion,SR 16
Assuming you take 10 on Linguistics again, you think these books are essentially manuals on how to take care of a wide variety of wild beasts--both magical and mundane.
