Kvit checks out the caved-in hallway and tries to mentally align it with the surface. "Wonder if this connects with the cave. Could be a back way in if we can't get these teleportation circles to work. Though getting it cleared out will be wildly time consuming. Alright, lets move."
He follows Kka as they check out the next door.
Once he's done meditating, Fuin kips up to his feet, readies his meteor hammer, and nods. "Okay. Let's do this." He falls in line behind and just to the side of Kka, where he can take advantage of the shadows.
As they walk, keen observers note that when he walks through brighter areas, his shadow is casually twirling the iron ball of his meteor hammer, even though Fuin himself is not.
You go through the secret door and find a small room.
Dust and neglect cover this chamber’s narrow bed, warped wooden wardrobe, and large footlocker.
The footlocker contains a wide-brimmed red hat with a large black feather that detects as magical. It's a Greater Hat of disguise. There's also a small pouch filled with tiny emeralds (25 gp), and a small notebook that hasn't endured the passage of time well. You're going to need to be very careful in handling this book, or it might fall apart.
Once you succeed, you don't need to make more checks, unless you're being intentionally rough with it.
Kka pokes her head into the room and finding no funny shadow people, goes in for a better look. She discovers the hat and tries it on for size but decides it isn't her style and stuffs it into her backpack for later resale. Similarly with the pouch of emeralds. She carefully picks up the fragile book and...
...finds it full of recipes for poisons. She wonders if Kvit can make use of it. Once the others catch up with her, she hands the book over to him carefully and shows him the formulas. "I figured if anyone caan make sense of this it's you."
Once satisfied that the room has no more secrets to yield, she goes through the southern door and looks for secret doors along the seemingly dead-ended hallway.
Kvit peers at the formulas and nods. "Should be simple enough, with the right ingredients. Mostly the venom and some preservatives."
"Looks fragile," Cherry says. "Pack it away carefully Kvit."
Fuin eyes the hat curiously. "Maybe I could use it during my dances to enhance the experience for the audience? They could smell lilacs during 'The Courting of Lady Fantana,' or the dust in 'Count Olaf's Tomb'! Or the blood and viscera during 'Usgroth's Last Stand'--" He pauses and makes a face. "Okay maybe not that one."
A question for another time, he supposes. Shaking his head, he returns to his position near the front with Kka.
Kvit looks at Fuìn curiously. "Well, if you think you have a use for it, I won't stop you."
He follows down the supposedly dead-end hallway. "Yes, since the other end of this hallway was a secret entrance, it would make sense if the opposite end was too."
Kvit assumes right. The secret door is obvious from this side.
A wide walkway around this cavernous chamber looks out over a stone arena floor 30 feet below. Six balconies with built-in seating provide the best view. Each balcony has a bright torch jutting from it, illuminating the entire arena while leaving this viewing level shrouded in shadows. An enormous metal gong on the eastern end of the chamber hangs on thick chains. Two steep staircases lead down from the central balcony on the north side of the arena floor.
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Kka looks the situation over. "Looks like this plaace is where we heard those sounds coming from earlier. I suspect we'll run into some baad guys soon, so prepare yourselves."
As you go counterclockwise around the arena, you see two eight-legged lizards nesting among a bunch of lifelike humanoid statues by the exit to the north. They notice you too, but you're far away enough that they don't feel threatened by your presence.
Cherry Berry recognises these creatures as basilisks. They're famous for their petrifying capabilities. If they look at you while you're within within 30 feet of them, you risk becoming slowed. If you fail twice, you're turned to stone permanently.
They have an "active" gaze that requires them to spend two actions on it, as well as a "passive" gaze they can do as a reaction. The active gaze's DC is higher than the passive one.
Fuin points to the doors on the other side of the basilisks, near where they came in. "Think those doors are close enough to the basilisks to set 'em off?"
"Be careful of those lizards." Cherry says. "They are basilisks that can turn you to stone with a look or two. If we have to fight them, make sure I have a round or two to get a good Blessing going first."
"Basilisks... who was talking then? Let's go around." Kvit starts heading back clockwise, not really waiting for an answer.
The arena balcony is lit by several everburning torches. You can take 4 of them easily, but two of them are scarily close to the basilisk nest. You're gonna have to be very stealthy if you want to snag those.
Kka takes in the situation. "So whaat do we do? Should we take them out or tip-toe around them?" But apparently Kvit has taken the decision upon himself and heads back the way they came. Kka shrugs. "Fine with me. Let me collect these torches though. Probably worth a little something on the open market."
Kka collects the 4 easily reached torches and eyes the last two with a glint in her eye. "Whaaddya all think? I'd hate to leave them behind, but they're probaably not worth the risk."
"Be careful" Cherry whispers. "I don't have anything from Erastile that can undo petrification."
I think Lough and Kka's posts crossed each other.
When Lough says that they should go ahead and risk it, Kka assumes he's responding to her query about whether to go for the last two torches. She glances at the backs of the basilisks and after a momentary pause, shrugs. "Okie dokie. Be right back." Kka then sneaks up closer to the basilisks and carefully pulls the first torch from the holder.
After freeing the first torch, she goes to the other one and repeats the process.
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Kka slips quietly past the basilisks. At one tense moment, the basilisks seem like they've noticed her, but Kka stops moving and the lizards lose interest. She grabs the torches and skedaddles back to the group.
K it turns back to see Lough near the basilisks and Kka sneaking across and freezes. "Those idiots! They're going to get turned to stone and then I'm out of here."
He breathes a sigh of relief when Kka manages to sneak by and return without issue. He glares while waiting for everyone to regroup. "Hope it was worth the risk..."
Cherry Berry also recalls that the blood of a freshly slain basilisk can un-petrify 1d3 medium-sized humanoids.
Once Kka returns with the remaining torches and hears Kvit's retort, she stiffles a giggle. "<Arrrk!> Probaably not, but it was quite a rush." She looks at the others for a second, then adds, "almost makes me waant to go baack and take them on. Whaat do you guys think? Not sure thaat leaving those critters wandering around down here is such a good idea." She glances at Lough to see what he thinks.
You're not sure what to do with the basilisks for now, so you decide to revisit that at a later moment. You retrace your steps back to the closed door you saw earlier and open it.
The curved east and west walls contain tables with small, built-in ovens. Wood fragments, heavily dented pewter serving dishes, silver flatware, and crystal shrapnel litter the floor. A wide alcove to the south ends at a cloudy window overlooking a much larger space. An array of magical glyphs glows next to the window.
You're pretty sure you didn't see the window when you were on the arena balcony a few moments ago. Must be another see-through wall.
Inside the room are two well-dressed ghosts squabbling with each other.
"For the umpteenth time, dear brother, it was an accident! News of Belcorra's death rang throughout the building and I panicked! I-"
"Oh, so then you 'accidentally' stabbed me seven times, right? How do you 'accidentally' stab someone anyway?"
"It was only six, actually," the ghost looks rueful. "But Alistair dearest, I didn't mean it that way! I was so shocked at the news that I jumped up, tripped, and my sword cane just landed in your chest, There was blood everywhere and I panicked so I removed it, but it was so slippery with blood I dropped it again and-"
"And now we're both dead, you dolt! We've been arguing forever now and none of it has gotten us closer to getting out of here!"
As they argue, you see cracked wine glasses, heavily dented serving trays, and spare chairs floating through the air around them as the argument heats up.
With the enthusiasm for basilisk hunting waning, Kka shrugs and says, "I guess we caan worry about them later... or never; not sure I care either waay really. Just don't come crying to me if they accidently turn you into stone somewhere down the road."
After backtracking and checking an earlier door they'd missed, Kka cracks it open and looks inside. As soon as she spots the squabbling spirits, she sighs and rolls her eyes. "Seriously?! More ghosts?" Under her breath she mumbles "I really need to get myself one of those ghost touch runes."
She listens for a moment to their bickering and then loses patience. "Hey! You two! Haave you guys really been arguing with each other for the paast several hundred years? Whaat's the deal then?" She then remembers what one of them said. "If you waanna get out of here..." she points to the door she just opened, "I've opened the door for you, though being ghosts, I'm surprised that you caan't just float through it... or the walls, for that maatter."
Fully expecting that this will trigger the ghosts to round on them as a common enemy, Kka readies herself for the attack. She tries to keep track of the floating debris knowing that much of it is likely to come flying at their way in a second.
The entirety of the room is also covered with debris, so everything inside is difficult terrain.
The siblings fall silent after Kka's outburst. Apparently they hadn't even noticed you yet.
"Well, the door isn't the problem, really," one of them begins. "It's just that these halls are filled with vicious monsters, and we're kind of... scared."
"Yeah, only one of us is a vicious killer" Alistair snaps at his brother.
"Oh, let it go already. I told you a million times, it was an accident. I didn't mean to kill you."
"Oh yeah, just maim then, is that it? As soon as Belcorra died, this whole place became a den of anarchy. You know what? I'm glad you took your own life after you killed me. I wouldn't want the family name tarnished like that with a murderer out there."
"So you're glad I'm here with you? Typical Alistair, too afraid to go anywhere all by himself, always needing a chaperone. Shall I call mom and ask her to come pick you up?"
They start bickering among themselves again. you see a priceless vase lifted into the air and hurled at the other, passing through, and smashing into pieces against the wall behind him.
Fuin mumbles, "Okay but that is actually a good question, how do you 'accidentally' stab someone six times?"
To the ghosts, he says, "Are you guys like... tied to this place? I hear that can happen with ghosts. I mean if you really want to just leave, we've killed most of the stuff up to the surface. Just avoid the basilisks to the east, and there's a guy with his wolf on like... floor 3? 4?" He turns to the others, brow furrowed. "There's too many floors already. Was Wolf Guy on the third or fourth floor?"
He shakes his head and turns back to the brothers. "Anyway we can lead you out of here if that's all you need. But will that put you to rest? Or do you need like... something else? Coz if it's just a way out of here, that's easily done."
The two brothers are clearly still cowed by Kka's shouting, and Lough's threats make them back away a bit, their complexion somehow even paler.
"It's not that we don't want to leave, it's just all those scary things in the way. Those hideous slug-men and weird bouncy frog-things... We might've gotten tickets to see monsters fight each other in the arena, but but to see them up close and personal is another thing entirely."
"Come on, we're dead, you idiot. They can't hurt us anymore. Let's just leave this place and go to the afterlife." The "killer" turns to Fuìn. "We're not tied to this place, My little brother is just too afraid to leave. And I can't leave because he's family. So..."
Alistair turns to Fuìn as well. "The escort would be nice. But only if you promise there's no more monsters on the way out. Otherwise my asthma will flare up and I'll have a panic attack."
The other brother rolls his eyes at the notion of a ghost with asthma, but says nothing.
Kvit stares at the situation unfolding, expecting the ghosts to fly into a murderous rage at any moment, especially as the others antagonize them. He looks from one to the other as they bicker. He shakes his head in amazement and annoyance.
He steps up and knocks his staff against the ground to get their attention. "I can assure both of you that nothing that can hurt your incorporeal form between here and the surface exit. In fact, I've placed several wards along the way to ensure our own safe passage, so you will be fine."
"Though, before you go, do you remember anything about an administrator here?"
Kvit recalls that usually ghosts are location-bound, but some spirits are bound to a person or an object. You think that the other brother is bound to Alistair by grief, but you're not sure why Alistair is still here.
Alistair looks disappointed, but nods. "Ah, I get it. You're busy adventurers and all. I guess since you've come down here, the way up top must be clear. I'll give it a try, but the first time I see anything moving, I'm screaming all the way back here and you'll have to deal with whatever is after us."
He looks at the door, takes a look back at you, sighs, then reluctantly floats away. His brothers whispers "Thank you," at you and floats after Alistair.
The room is now empty of threats. The floor is completely covered with debris, remnants of the years-long fight between the siblings. Shards of glassware and dining forks functioning as caltrops, and so on.
Three things of note are in this room. The see-through wall with glyphs on the side, sort of functioning as a control panel, a door to the east, and a heavily dented steel box that's locked. It's so mangled that you can't break it open without breaking whatever is within, so you'll need a fine hand to open it.
"What a weird couple of ghosts."
Fuin considers Cherry's words for a moment, hands on his hips, and finally replies, "I mean... I think after being stuck with someone for a couple hundred years in the same room, I'd be pretty weird, too."
Once the ghosts clear out, Kka relaxes a little. "Phew! Another ghostly encounter averted without a fight. Pretty soon we'll be known as the ghost whisperers or something." She then goes through the room carefully and comes across the locked heavily dented steel box. "Looks like we'll haave to be careful about opening this box if don't wanna break whatever's inside. Let's see whaat I caan do."
She breaks out Otari's fancy thieves' tools and gets to work...
"<Click!>"
The lock opens with a satisfying snick and she looks inside. She pulls out the fancy ring platinum Ring of Wizardry (Type I) with a faint look of disappointment. "Looks valuable, but probably also magical." She hands it off to Kvit. "What do you make of it, Kvit?"
Kvits immediately recognizes it and his eyes widen as Kka hands over the ring. "I- I never thought I would ever see one of these, let alone use one..." He appears lost in thought as he slips it over one furred finger.
Fuin quirks his head at the ring. "What's that weird symbol on it? Some wizard-y stuff?"
"Oh, uh, just a symbol of a deranged god, Nhimbaloth. Powerful stuff, but as long as you're careful, it'll be fine."
He looks around at the rest of the room, especially the "window" and its controls. "Anything else in here?
Kvit examines the window and the controls. The runes next to the window allow you to track whatever is happening on the battlefield, zoom in and out, and view it from different angles. A giant pile of flesh and limbs is lying on the floor of the arena, not really doing much.
Kvit and Lough both think this is some kind of giant ooze that incorporates body parts into its form.
Kka doesn't know exactly what this is, but it looks awfully similar to the Shanrigol Heaps you fought earlier in the prison area, but much, much bigger. They resisted slashing and piercing attacks, so chances are, this one will as well, but much more. She remember that they can grab and squeeze the life out of you, gaining HP in the process.
Cherry Berry goes silent. It's a Shanrigol Behemoth. These are big, scary monsters, way above your pay grade. When you steadily feed one of those small ones, they will become immense, and immensely powerful as well. You could technically defeat one, but you're gonna need a lot of prep and luck.
This one is just lazying about right now, but it's definitely alive.
When the others describe the creature, Fuin's shoulders droop. "Welp. That's horrifying. Any chance we don't have to fight it?"
Kka let's out a short laugh at Fuìn's comment. "<Aaark! Ark!> I don't think we'll be thaat lucky, but I'm in no hurry. Let's see whaat's in here." She goes to the small door to one side of the room and gives it the usual once-over.
Kka inspects the door, seems nothing wrong with it, and opens it. It's the stairs down to the next level.
With only two more mystery doors left, you find that the door on the south end of the mess hall also leads to stairs down. The final door, back in the secret part of the level, reveals the following.
Large, dark discolored patches of dried fluids adorn the floor of this oddly shaped chamber. A stone desk stands against the west wall and holds tools, bottles, and jars of a variety of substances.
On the workbench you find an expanded alchemist's lab and three moderate tanglefoot bags.
It also contains one more door, also leading down.
This means you've cleared this level!
"Well, we cleared this place and found no clues about the administrator. I suppose we aught to go open that door and have a conversation. Assuming anything left in there can talk after a couple hundred years."
Once the last of the level has been explored, Kka shrugs and goes over what they discovered in her mind. "Looks like thaat's pretty much the laast of it for this level. Anyone feel like dropping in on our administrator friend to see whaat may haave haappened to him? Whaat waas his name again?..." She frowns a moment and then snaps her taloned fingers, ...Thaat's right. It was something like Chaafkhem." She looks from face to face to gauge the group sentiment. "I'm up for it if the rest of you are."