The large stones surrounding the pool are carved with ancient petroglyphs that don't relate to any language you are familiar with.
The six-armed man is definitely male in form, but there aren't any distinguishing features.
The harpy fled out an entrance to the north, and the passage you entered from continues west.
The harpy fled out an entrance to the north, and the passage you entered from continues west.
Lefty conjures some Dancing Lights, sending it ahead of Ting to illuminate anything right ahead of the group.
The alcove that Ting examines does continue into a tunnel that opens into a larger cave.
The tunnel to the north splits into a "y", one fork headed east and the other north-west. The harpy definitely took the left hand tunnel to the north-west.
Every part of this place you explore seems to reveal even more twists and turns.
Watching as 'Lefty' moves his dancing lights ahead into the cave, Ting turns and bobs his beak, "T'anks!" Waiting for the others to catch up, he continues to push forward into the cave, keeping a keen eye out as he goes.
Wyran notes the location of the pool so he might get back to it, then follows along with the others.
Ting explores the cavern. It is fairly large with a 30 foot ceiling.
Another connecting passage loops in from the north, revealing where one of the northern branches from the Amber Pool room goes.
The floor is fairly level, but seems natural - not worked stone.
Two main things that catch your interest:
(1) In the south-east corner of the cavern there is an entrance to what looks like it was a worked stone part of the dungeon. The room seems to have collapsed, choking it and the entrance with rubble. There are a couple of feet of space between the top of the rubble and a slab of rock that seems to have shifted to become that room's new ceiling. A tight crawl if you proceed that direction.
(2) You notice odd fissures in the northern wall with something gleaming within them - reflecting the light from Lefty's spell, drawing your curiosity.
Wyran points at the reflections from the fissures on the northern wall. He sends Dancing Lights ahead as he approaches. "Let's check this out before we check the collapsed area. Might be something useful...."
Lulling his tongue in a tengu smile, Ting heads towards the fissures in the northern wall to see what he can see.
Lefty hangs back a bit, still shaken from his last ordeal, but he can't help but look.
You dig out the fissures in the wall some and you reveal that the shiny objects in question are sizable slabs of sea-green glass, with shadowy, humanoid skeletal forms frozen under their smooth surface.
There are five slabs in all.
Wyran steps back from the slabs of glass. "Strange way to store undead monsters. Evil of course! I wonder if they could be destroyed without actually releasing them?"
"Lefty? Can you identify the magic?"
Hearing Wyran's description of the skeletons, Ting reaches up under his conical hat, scratching his head. "So's if'n ey's is stuck in tha glass, why's don't we's leave' 'em alone, wroight?"
As the others examine the class entombed skeletons, Ting wanders over to the rubble in the southeast corner and begins poking around, looking for anything interesting.
They don't appear to be animated.
More of a "frozen in torment" sort of vibe.
"I'm not sure what they are, but they are magic and evil. You're right. Maybe the glass is a prison? That's why I asked Lefty what magic he can see. I've never learned spellcraft so all I see is a glow that I can't understand."
Wyran steps back from the slabs of glass. "Strange way to store undead monsters. Evil of course! I wonder if they could be destroyed without actually releasing them?"
"Lefty? Can you identify the magic?"
They are definitely radiating magic. Let's pause a bit before we press on.
The elf tries to identify the magic in play.
As the others spoke on the skeletons sealed in emerald carbonite Ting could not control his corvid-like curiosity. Croaking, "I's'l be back." he squeezed over the rubble into the larger space, keeping a keen out and his void-glass blade at the ready.
Beyond the rubble you find a tunnel headed south.
Looking at the curious fresco before he peaks down the tunnel, Ting moves back to the rubble he crawled through. Sticking his beak in the hole he'd passed through he calls back to the others in his crow-like voice. "Oy 'air's a room in'ear. Got's a bloody picture o' 'em hooded blokes and a tunnel's 'at 'eads South. You's blokes want's ta check it outs?"
Wyran follows Ting into the room. "I hate leaving potential enemies behind me, but encased in that glass they can't hurt anyone. Let's just hope there's no trigger that will release them and a large horde more!"
"Closed off I wouldn't think the tunnel would be active. Might have old clues that they don't know about. And possibly treasures!"
The magic here is ancient, and of a kind I don't recognize. I can't tell you what it is. This was done long ago, using powers I've never heard of. Let's hope it's dormant.
Lulling his tongue in a tengu smile, Ting waits as the others crawl through the rubble. Once they are all with him, he begins to head down the tunnel, keeping his falchion at the ready and an eye peeled for danger.
Ting proceeds south down the passage.
It opens into a large hall. Inlaid into the floor at the entrance is a sign reading "The Hall of the Brothers".
The hall is 30 feet wide and extends north-east at least 180 feet.
The walls are lined with old dusty coffins. They look like they haven't been disturbed in a very long time.
There is a stairway up at the west end of the hallway (right next to where Ting enters) and a stairway down at the other end.
An unmarked passage leads due east from the far end of the hallway.
Two double-doors are set into the south-east wall of the hall, and one double-door in the north-west side.
Ting spots a shaft in the ceiling, raising up into the level above about halfway down the hall.
Wyran follows Ting down the passage. When he sees the room open ahead, and the coffins he stops and casts Detect Magic again, scanning the area. "These might just be empty boxes, or non-animated carcasses. I'm not sure I want to check.... I can cast a Detect Undead spell if you think it would be worth it?"
The phrase 'worth it' having a more monetary value to the Tengu, Ting shrugs his shoulders. Looking from Wyran to the others. "Does you's t'ink tha monkey's may have been buried wit any shinys?"
Wringing his talons for a moment, he continues. "We's is supposed ta be lookin' fer tha girly girl. If'n she's gone 'is ways, do's we's have time ta search tha' place." he points towards the coffins. "I's jus' don't wants to be in tha floggin' middle if'n zombies starts ta bloody well jumps out at us, wroight."
Lefty takes a look at the coffins to determine if Wyran's spell would work through them.
Coffins appear to be old wood. The spell shouldn't have any trouble penetrating them.
Can anyone detect undead?
"I don't detect any magic. The coffins seem to be just old wood so let me check for undead.... I can do it once."
Nodding his beak in agreement with 'Lefty,' ting echo's the Elf's sentiment when Wyran volunteers. "'at's a bloody fine idear's, wroight."
This will tell us what we need to know about these coffins, the elf says.
No undead are detected in the long line of coffins.
Looks like just the regular dead.
None of you are experts, but they seem like they've been down here a long time.
No need to bother these poor folk, then. Let's move on.
"You's is wroight." Nodding his head in agreement with 'Lefty' Ting moves towards the first set of double doors leading to the south east. He quickly inspects the doors, dealing with any locks or traps he finds. Then, once the group is ready, he opens the doors.
One set goes down (east end), one set goes up (west end).
One set goes down (east end), one set goes up (west end).
Ting finds the first set of doors safe and not too difficult to open.
Inside, the room has been ransacked:
The coffins in the room have been broken open and their contents despoiled. Soot and ashes cover the floor.
A bent brass plaque, discarded
in a corner reads: “WIZARD’S LIGHT, WIZARD MIGHT, LIGHT OF FIRE, FUNERAL PYRE.”
While studying the room, Ting notices the what appears to be the outline of a concealed door in the far wall.
Seeing the bent brass plaque ting toddled its direction, lifting the discarded plaque he read aloud. "Wizardy loight, Wizardy moight, loight o' fire, Funerary pyre?" Turning his beak almost full around he looks at his companions, "So's what tha' bloody 'ell's is 'at supposed ta mean?"
Catching a glint from the corner of his eye, ting carefully sets the plaque down and moves to the far wall finding the concealed door. Carefully inspecting the door, he disables any traps or locks he finds, then carefully opens it.
Wyran follows Ting. "Look around. Was probably words to activate a magic that burnt this place. Ash everywhere!"
Ting discovers and disables a trap that would have blasted fire out into the room if the concealed door wasn't opened carefully.
Beyond the door you find a hallway that heads east. The walls and floor of the hallway are coated with a thick layer of mold.
Three skeletons lie in the passage, having fallen prey to now defunct spear traps in the walls. They are covered with a thick crust of moldy growth.
At the far end of the 50' passage there seems to be another concealed door.
As the 'hidden door' opens, ting points at the fire trap with one talon. "At's one bloody fine trapsies, wroight?" Moving into the hallway, he stop a good distance from the three skeletons lying in the passageway. Seeing the spear trap he nods his beak, "'Air's another fine trapsies." He puases and points at the crust of mold. Having had a bad experience with mold, he turns and looks at the others, "Do's you's blokes t'ink tha mold is anythin' ta worries 'bout?"