Norveg, despite thinking everything is fine in this posh place, scans the room anyway.
As Norveg advances into the chamber, he hears a metallic rasping, very faint, but his keen senses pick it up. He whirls and sees a three-foot long cobra rearing up. The snake is grey and appears to be segmented. It bears metallic fangs and prepares to strike!
Tragon’s hands are quickly on his swords as he sees the creature rear its head.
"Ah, buggah."
Iron Cobra: 13
Norveg: 7
Tragon: 4
Narl:
Taishe:
Nahuatl ti:
13 Spider: 6
"Not bug. Serpent." Taishe corrects absentmindedly.
The kobold belatedly raises his cane into a guard position,...
Vault guardian
Nahuatl ti: 22
Iron Cobra: 13
Taishe: 11
Norveg: 7
Tragon: 4
Narl:
13 Spider: 6
Lavinia screams as the metallic snake rears. 13 Spider raises his macuahuitl in readiness.
Nahuatl ti steps in front of Lavinia, bringing her spear up and setting herself in a defensive stance.
Taishe plucks a small clay flask from his belt, and throws it at the serpent.
:P
Narl will cast mage armor upon himself and step back to let other melee types into the fray.
He will also wrack his brain to see if he knows anything of this creature and its potential weaknesses and strengths. If he does know anything he will let the rest of the party know about it.
Vault guardian
Nahuatl ti: 22 guarding Lavinia
Iron Cobra: 13
narl:12
Taishe: 11 acid splash
Norveg: 7
Tragon: 4
13 Spider: 6
The iron cobra tears and strikes at Norveg. The construct fails to hit, the wily rat folk dodging aside
Taishe’s vial smashes where the snake had been, but the construct moves with blinding speed the acid splashes sizzling on the green marble floor
Narl doesn’t know much, except that these constructs are used to guard places. There is usually a way to deactivate them
Slick and swift, Norveg slings his shield off his back and between him and the snake.
Moving carefully, he tries to keep the nasty engaged, prodding at it with his sharp little hook hand. "C'mon, ye barstard. Over 'ere."
Tragon cuts at the snake with his blades.
Tragon’s cutlass barely misses, but his short sword connects. There is a loud clanging of metal on metal as the blade hits the iron skin of the creature. Aside from a slight scuff, the construct seems unfazed
The cobra weaves and strikes at Norveg, aiming to get around the shield he uses as protection
The iron fangs of the metal serpent hit Norveg’s shield. He can see a bluish liquid dripping from them
"That,... iss not a true sserpent? Iss it ssuppossed to be here?" Taishe ponders aloud, looking for a way to help without firing into melee or splashing his friends with acid.
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"Oi'd call that academic at this point, mate. Boitin', venom, hissin' - very snaky." Norveg shifts his shield to avoid another bite.
Nahuatl ti maintains her defensive posture, while those better equipped to fight the metal serpent get to work.
"Guardian,... Deactivate? Ssome ssort of key,..." Taishe muses aloud as he looks for an opening to assist.
Suddenly his eyes widen, "Lavinia! Ring! Pressent the ring! Command it to Sstand down!" The kobold hisses urgently.
Yes, smart thinking Taishe often they are controlled and deactivated by such things. Certainly worth a try eh?
Lavinia looks wide eyed at the kobold. She holds out the ring
“I command you to stop!” She screams
The iron cobra halts in mid-strike, swaying gently. It falls to the floor and slithers off, disappearing into a small hole in one of the snake columns
Norveg relaxes, slings his shield onto his back, and slaps Taishe on the back (not with the hook hand).
"Well done, mate!"
He takes a more relaxed look around the vault. "Wut now, mum?"
"Nicely done!" Nahuatl ti says with a smile at the kobold, though keeping her spear in hand.
The room features two freestanding alabaster pillars carved in a cooling snake motif, one in each small alcove on the side of the room. The cobra vanished into the right sided one, apparently to await the next intruders. There are five other agate and chalcedony pillars embedded into the walls, also carved in serpentine fashion. There doesn’t appear to be any other door than the one they entered. The ceiling rises up in a dome. The top is blazoned with the same compass symbol seen on the door.
Lavinia composes herself and nods to Taishe
“That was smartly deduced, sir. My thanks”
He takes a more relaxed look around the vault. "Wut now, mum?"
Lavinia frowns as she looks around
“I do not know. My parent’s fortune is here somewhere, but I imagine the way is hidden. I guess we check the walls for any hidden passages?”
"Hmmm." Norveg looks at the carved pillars and begins examining them, looking for carvings of a cyclops, medusa, or basilisk, at least.
"Oi fink you've got a combination in a poem, mum."
Taishe straightens up to his full (not impressive) height, and straightens his dress clothes. He seems embarrassed by everyone's comments.
"Pleasse, Wass merely,... Educated Deduction. Once Friend Narl wass kind enough to blurt out Sserpentss origin and purpossse, It made ssensse that 'key' which opened vault would be ssame 'key' to control guardian. It Wass,... elementary." He says humbly. If with with a small draconian smirk at the end.
"Hmmm." Norveg looks at the carved pillars and begins examining them, looking for carvings of a cyclops, medusa, or basilisk, at least.
"Oi fink you've got a combination in a poem, mum."
Taishe steps forward, his gaze bright.
"Ah yess! The paper we found with ring. May I ssee it, pleasse?"
Taishe joins Norveg in searching for the correct pictures, careful not to touch any until they have located them all.
" Now there was a curious thing I noticed that seems to be reoccurring here and it is this compass symbol here. I saw the same symbol at our watering hole when we were hired and now at the front door as well as this room. Its the symbol for the Explorers Guild. Not sure if this information will help ... but thought it might seeing how we are looking at their symbol."
Narl also takes a look about the room seeing if there is anything he can pick out or help with.
When next to Taishe he nods and pats kobald on the shoulder.
"Well done my friend. Seems we make a pretty good team eh?"
Tragon continues to stand by Lavinia, his swords at the ready in case any other columns, statues, or bas reliefs decide to attack his new patroness.
" Now there was a curious thing I noticed that seems to be reoccurring here and it is this compass symbol here. I saw the same symbol at our watering hole when we were hired and now at the front door as well as this room. Its the symbol for the Explorers Guild. Not sure if this information will help ... but thought it might seeing how we are looking at their symbol."
Narl also takes a look about the room seeing if there is anything he can pick out or help with.
When next to Taishe he nods and pats kobald on the shoulder.
"Well done my friend. Seems we make a pretty good team eh?"
"Ah. Indeed. As ssteel sharpens ssteel, I find that sharp mindss do the ssame." Taishe agrees, giving the human his 'not threatening' smile.
(Meaning he doesnt show his teeth.)
"Hmmm." Norveg looks at the carved pillars and begins examining them, looking for carvings of a cyclops, medusa, or basilisk, at least.
[dice=Perception]1d20+5
"Oi fink you've got a combination in a poem, mum."
Norveg doesn’t find any carvings of those creatures, but while searching the northernmost pillar, he finds a hidden switch. Flipping it makes the snakes on the pillar writhe and pull back, revealing an arch to another room beyond
"Well well. Mum, hav yer ring handy, just in case." Norveg makes his shield ready and slowly advances into the new room.
This octagonal room features a large central pillar with deep grooves inscribed upon it. On the seven walls are bas-relief carvings of exotic monsters. Starting from the left hand side the first wall features a tentacled monster with a huge glaring red eye and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The next wall features a huge dragon. The third features a fishlike creature with three red eyes and four tentacles. The next after that is a two-headed giant wielding two immense clubs. The next features a spherical creature with four tentacle-stalked eyes and a large central eye over a drooling fanged maw. The next is a snarling gorriloid creature with six eyes. The last is a huge spider with seven eyes. All the eyes in the carvings are glittering red gems.
The ceiling is only four meters high in this room, and flat. Inscribed upon it is the same stylized compass that had been seen elsewhere. This compass features seven black arms and one red. The red arm points towards the entrance to the room.
”Hmm. They’re in sequence,” Tragon says as he stands in the doorway. ”One eye, two eyes, three eyes, and so on. What does it mean?”
"These ain't the monstahs we was lookin fer, Oi don't think,", Norveg says, carsfully scratching his ear with his hook. "Cyclops 'as one oye, but medusa? D'yer count snake oyes?"
"Hrm. masster Norveg, pleasse check my memory against the note?" Taishe asks softly as he surveys the room.
"Chimera looks to sunrise
Cyclops looks to sunset
Medusa looks to sunrise
Umber Hulk looks to sunset
Basilisk looks to sunrise"
The kobold murmurs as he looks around the walls,....
"You are right Norveg. Thesse are NOT the monsterss we are looking for."
Taishe moves forward cautiously to examine the central pillar, and the compass on the floor.
The column reaches four meters to the ceiling, forming the center of the compass. As Taishe looks, he can see the ceiling actually has a circular track transcribed around the compas. The column seems to have mechanisms under the floor. When Taishe pushes it, it clicks over with a ratchet sound. The compass needles on the ceiling move, all turning over to the next wall. The red needle points to the one-eyed monster on the first wall
"It would appear that the poem is perhaps the order in which to highlight the monsters." Nahuatl ti suggests.
"Anyone know wut these fings are, official-loik?" Norveg asks.
"Ah. A fassinating mechanissm." Taishe says as he admires the column and compass construction.
"Hrm. Perhapss. I have read many bookss on such creaturess. Ssadly I find my recollection of them, to be dissapointing at timess. I shall work on that."
"Hrm. Thesse picturess do not sseem to be the ssame assss in poem. Perhaps pictures reference thosse with same number of eyes as what mentioned in poem? OR could be clue to solve another riddle passt thiss one?"
"Maybe it describes a series of rooms," Tragon wonders. "Was that a chimera in the last room? I don't know of such things. But maybe turn the compass so that West points in the same direction the cyclops is looking."
"Roit enuff, mate," Norveg agrees. "If 'e's lookin' West, the East marker needs ta point roit at 'im."
Taishe and Nahuatl aid each other in the identifications. the first beast is a roper. Everyone knows a dragon. The third is the dreaded aboleth. The fourth is an ettin. The fifth is a beholder, the sixth and seventh aren’t too clear, but gorilla and spider like is obvious
Tragon turns to Lavinia. ”These wards seem quite dangerous. They’re meant to thwart robbers, I suppose. But somebody must know the way through safely. Is there anyone in your family’s employment who would know the way forward?”
Lavinia looks upset
“No. The only family I have left is my brother, and I have no idea where he might be. My parents would not have trusted him with the combination “