GM PaleDim's Glories of the Past (Inactive)

Game Master PaleDim

Lebraerio pops the lock handily, and the party enters a narrow passage that includes two short stairways up, with a hard-turn left in between those.

The desiccated corpse of a dwarf clutching a beautifully carved stone hammer lies at the Northeastern corner of this drier, sealed (until just now) corridor. The Dwarven word for “Oath-keeper” is carved into the hammer’s haft.

What do you do?

Juis cautiously approaches the dwarf remains and examines the body to get an idea how old he has been here.

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

Juis can verify that this body has been here for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. Likely from the very time the Sky Citadel was conquered by the orcs in this region.

"Any chance that hammer is magicked?"

Juis checks the hammer by casting Detect Magic on it as he examines it.

Knowledge (Arcana)+Detect Magic: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

The hammer gives off a faint aura of conjuration, but Juis cannot discern specific details or properties beyond that.

"It is definitely magical but I can't determine the actual enchantment. Someone should grab it if they think they could possibly use it."

Let me know if somebody picks it up before you move on.

Heading West, the group finds a portcullis sealing them in from the main passageway.

Attempt to lift, break, or other ideas?

Juis moves over to the portcullis and braces himself to help lift it.

Strength (Aid Other): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

As they pass the hammer, Marianna pauses for a moment, sheathes her blade, and picks up the hammer. She looks it over for a moment before following with the others. At the portcullis, however, she sets both the hammer and her shield aside so she can attempt to manhandle the bars.

Strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Lebreario uses his multi-tool to make a crwbar, and helps Juis and Marianna, if possible

Str aid, Crowbar: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 1 + 2 = 16

Inira stands back, bow ready in case of trouble.

With Marianna and Juis' efforts, the portcullis is lifted opening the way beyond. Marianna takes the hammer with her.

I'm about to board a flight. I'll move us along tonight.

A solid mass of black rock shaped into an anvil overlooks a colossal chamber from atop a balcony. Resting next to the anvil, an elaborate weapon rack that resembles a row of dwarven maidens. The maiden nearest the anvil holds a stone warhammer snuggly within her grasp. The other two maidens’ hands are empty but appear designed to hold hafted objects. Flanking the anvil, two promenades lead to stairways that descend into the immense chamber below.

Map updated.

What do you do?

Tabar rides down and observes his surroundings to discover traps etc.

perception : 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

He also uses his wayfinder to detect magic.

Inira looks to see if she can put weapons in the other two maiden's hands, in order to complete the picture.

"Maybe the weapons were removed and can be found elsewhere in the ruins."

Tabar finds no traps or other nonsense in the area. It's almost as if this large blank space has been cleared for something to happen later...

Opening the arcane eye in his mind he senses a magic very similar to that from the hammer Marianna took emanating from the anvil-shaped rock.

Do you try anything here before moving on?

"I wonder..." Marianna muses for a moment. Then, she walks down to the maiden with a warhammer and holds up the one they found to compare the two.

“Just put it in!!” Tabar says with a smile.

Marianna notes that the hammers a very similar. They're not identical, but they both have shafts that fit perfectly into the maiden weaponracks.

"This seems like a puzzle, but I am not so sure what it means. Do we need another hammer?"

"Possibly. Lets continue to explore this place. Maybe there is clues elsewhere."

He walks down the path to the left.

Marianna nods, and slides the hammer into one of the two open slots, before following Juis.

Down the steps from the platform...

Several bas reliefs decorate the walls of this colossal chamber. The wall art depicts images of dwarven triumph—smiths forging perfect weapons, warriors defeating savage orcs, clergy venerating dwarven gods, and merchants counting glittering coins—and hundreds of these scenes cover the chamber’s walls. The only surfaces not covered in sculpture are the three sets of large stone doors to the North, East, and West.

Three of the sculptures at the base of the raised platform (the area with the anvil-shaped stone) have words in Dwarven scrawled into their bases. Lebreario is able to easily translate the first two. See player handouts 1 & 2.

The first of these reliefs depicts a sinister dwarf toiling over a forge, his hammer emblazoned with a mark of a stone arch that contains a burning fire.

The second relief portrays a stern dwarf pointing downward with one hand and slamming a gavel with the other, and the Dwarven word for “Oath-keeper” is written on the hammer.

The final relief depicts a stoic dwarf working at a forge and wielding a hammer bearing the name “Kaglemros.” Instead of bearing an inscription, this relief merely has an arrow incised into it that points to the stoic dwarf.

If taking 10 is allowed, Leb got automatically 10+10+1d6. If not here are the rolls (can't fail DC 12, as 1 on d20+10+1 on d6=12)

Know Rel DC 15 A: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + 10 + (4) = 24

Know Rel DC 15 B: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 10 + (5) = 21

That one

he points to the first statue, the dwarf working on the forge

is Droskar, dwarfn god of toil and cheating.The second, with the gavel, is Kols the Oath Keeper, god of Justice, obviously, and oaths too, as his surname says. The third is simply Torag, well known and revered as the head of dwarfish pantheon, god of creation.

Taking 10 here is fine. All spoilers achieved.

Leb quickly deciphers the identities of three Dwarven gods depicted by the statues. Noting that there are three slots in the weapon rack, you surmise that the three hammers each also represent one of these Dwarven gods. Of course, one remains missing.

What do you do?

"Okay,"Marianna says after thinking about it for a moment. "I'm making guesses here, but it's the best I can figure out. We need three-hammers, on for each god and they need to be in a certain order. This hammer we found is marked Oath-keeper, so it's likely the hammer for Kols. I'm guessing that the hammer that was here was Torag's, so we need to find Droskar's hammer in here. Lebraerio, can you check the doors for traps so we can start searching for it?"

Sure, Marianna!

Lebraerio searches the doors for potential hazards

Perception, Trapfinder: 1d20 + 10 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 3 + (2) = 22

Where are you doing your searching? Present room only, backtracking?

Lebraerio finds no traps in the immediate open space, nor up on the platform near the anvil-shaped rock.

"Could we have missed a hammer? We certainly were not lookin gfor them before..."

Inira tries to recall anything that might be worth going back to look at.

"I imagine there are more rooms or passages beyond the doors we see. Perhaps the missing hammer will be found there." Juis moves toward the western door.

The Western and Eastern doors lead to wide chasms with bridges that need to be lowered. However, there are no controls on your side to do so.

Where are you doing your searching? Present room only, backtracking?

Lebraerio finds no traps in the immediate open space, nor up on the platform near the anvil-shaped rock.

An addition for specificity.

Leb finds no traps on the doors out of this chamber.

Seeing as it seems safe, Marianna tries the door to the North as well. It is similar to the Eastern and Western passages, but with some interesting differences.

A deep chasm separates a large stone platform and whatever might lie beyond. On the platform’s floor, an inch-deep depression offers a recess for an unseen bridge to rest. On the eastern edge of the platform there is a small panel of complex but rusty levers and cranks.

Map updated.

The 80-foot-deep chasm is nearly 50 feet wide and acts like a moat to keep out invaders who might attack from a surface tunnel. The three iron drawbridges are all raised, their chains spared destruction by the region’s rust monsters by the sealed stone doors beyond.

Lebraerio looks at the deep chasm

That's quite a drop. Maybe someone could fly over it, to activate the levers on the oter side??

Looking across the chasm, "I'm afraid I don't have any spells that would be helpful here. Unless you want me to cast Hold Person on the lightest of us and then the strongest tries to throw that person over." He chuckles at his bad joke.

Apologies, the scenario described that in a very ambiguous way. The Eastern edge of the *near* side (the platform you're on while looking out over the chasm). So you have immediate access to fiddle with it (Knowledge (Engineering), Disable Device).

DD, Deft hands, Msw tools, Free Inspi: 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 12 + 2 + 2 + (3) = 31

Sorry, my mind was wandering. I'm working on it!

Lebraerio tries to unlock the mechanism, and puts some oil on it.

That should do the trick.

Juis looks over the mechanism and tries to give some incite into the device to help Lebraerio crack it.

Knowledge (Engineering) *Aid Other*: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

The rusty control panel is no match for Lebraerio's skills and Juis' insight. While he doesn't love getting the rust discoloration smeared all over his fingers, he is able to figure out how to work the levers and after a time the drawbridge North lowers and opens the way.

I'm going to pause here in case there's any more looking around you want to do in this area.

As the two scholars mentally beat the old mechanism into submission, Marianna does a little more poking about, first in the anvil hall, then the hallway that they came down.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Marianna isn't able to find anything new of interest in the current and prior rooms. Anybody else?

Let's go searching the room before continuing our exploration, just in case we forgot something

Perception: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (19) + 10 + (2) = 31

looking at the space on the left, behind the steps

Back in the entry room with the two statues, staircase, where you first found the secret door and hidden passageway, Lebraerio detects a sizable pit trap marked on the map.

However, right now it is still closed and so Leb can't see into it.

Ideas to safely trigger it?

"It might seem cruel or disrespectful but he is already dead. Why don't we get the remains of that dwarf we found and throw it on the pit trap..."

"Let's not further desecrate the dead," Marianna says with a displeased tone in her voice as she pulls her any-tool from her bag. "Roughly where is the trigger?" she asks as she folds out a 10 foot pole, and starts pushing at the pit, hoping to trigger it from a distance.

Your pole gave me an idea, Marianna.. let me see how large the pit is..

Lebraerio measures the pit cautiously, and extends Marianna's pole so its larger than the pit

Will go with Know Engineering for 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + 7 + (5) = 22

You see, If you grab the pole like that

He puts the pole under his armpits, and grabs it with both hands

When the pit opens, the pole, being larger than it, blocks your fall.. as long as you manage to keep your grab on it. Not a perfect plan... Maybe using a failsafe like that?

He passes the pole though the handles of his backpack.

And then his brain has already another idea.

I can even use an glueing extract on my hands to make sure I won't be able to let go of it!

Marianna finds that this trap, being a little on the larger side, is quite hefty and not easy to open with minor force. She could lean forward on her poll to transfer the the effect of all her armored weight onto the plates, but then may fall forward into the pit as it opens.

The most straightforward method is a disable device. The dwarf body would definitely do the job too (any humanoid-sized body). Or, some way to apply Marianna's strength that doesn't result in her falling forward with the momentum once the floor gives way.

D'oh! Ninja'd. Checking Leb's post.