Garl steps around the corner of the hall and brings the light around the bend. the glow is cast far into the room, revealing what was simple metallic glints to be parts of larger machinery. your mind sees strange.... things in the room. Made of metal, yes! holding paper, some of them. but, beyond that... you are not sure what it fully is that you are looking upon. unless youre to venture into the room.
What must be completed books are stacked next to the opening in the wall, while a larger pallet of thick paper rests behind it. A large table that runs the width of the room stands between you and the things. upon it, you see presses for leather working, scissors, knives, paint brushes, and more. Further back, you see the machines, buckets, brushes, bottles filled with thick colored fluids you can only assume to be ink.
Talia calls back to Navarre "No you go Navarre, my time will be better spent here." and notices that Jak has entered the room. She gives Jak a nod, "Thank you Jak staying with me, it is appreciated."
An old but fairly large blood stain covers the desk, the fact that is old is of little concern, however the size of it says something bad had most likely happened upon this desk at sometime in its life time. Still she was here for a purpose to find a specific book but she was also very interested in anything on the desk that might shed more light on things.
Talia will start meticulously going over everything on the desk and once that is completed, and depending on what she discovers or does not discover, she will then branch out into the other things within the vault.
"Well that is interesting, but probably not what we are looking for?" Lazar says with curious regret turning away and heading towards the others.
He does so with stealth and as much speed as he can his staff parallel to the ground. In doing so he seems ready to strike from his crouching position.
"Up it is." Not seeing much point in trying to be stealthy since he's carrying the light, he decides to do what he can to prevent throwing much shadow from Lazar.
As the others approach Ceirn points to a place on the wall and says, "There is an arrow slit here. It might not be the only one. Be careful.
You look at the book with the quill sticking out of it. It's a leather bound book, large in length, yet rather narrow on width. On the top, written in bold black ink, it gives the date of 999NE, Danu 1-. You crack open the book to where the quill acts as a bookmark, and read the following:
Taisham 2, 1000NE
I grow impatient. I had sent the letters to colleagues last week, and while i know that, for some of them, the letter will take six weeks to a full two months to be delivered, let alone who knows how long for a reply, yet i must know now if the book is correct. there is an entry in the book, an old manatheron fortress in the mountains of mist, it is said to have a small cache of ter'angreal. My own collection, it would be nice to have it grow! and if the book is true!? then this would mean that i could find all of the missing ter'angreal from the Age of Legends! the boon to humanity would be immense! The fortress, rather, it's ruins, are said to be outside of Stedding Jisuin. I have done the research, and the history does prove this out. Manatheren did have a small fortress up near the Stedding. It was on the outer edges of the blast the consumed Manatheron during the Trolloc Wars. My nearest and most reliable contact, Kunala, is still weeks away from sending and recieving his missive. I must adventure forth. I must dare the Ways.
another entry below reads simply.
Taisham 3, 1000NE.
I have drawn the map of the Ways. My first attempt was rather crude. it was effective, but i miscounted the stones. It had to be redrawn. Now i have the correct number. I will mark my path with white paint, both on the way there, and on the return. I hope that the corrupting presence found within the Ways doesnt destroy the paint, and my return home.
Atop the stairs, you again see the hall stretch down before you, down to the front of the fort. Aside from closed doors, you do not see anything out of the ordinary...
Ceirn will quietly pass the first door and allow the others to deal with opening it. He listens at the door in case there is anyone inside making noise.
Lazar makes his way to the door and looks at Ceirn before he watches the Aiel disappear. Lazar chuckles silently to himself. The man crouches and begins to examine the door. First, he looks at it for any traps.
When cleared he tests to see if it's locked and if it is will unlock it
[spoiler=lazar]You easily unlock the door.
Lazar pops the lock on the door with ease, and the door opens with a loud creak, indicating that it hasnt been opened for a while, or that the hinges had some rust.
the door opens just slightly wider than a large man's width, and then thunks against an unseen object.
The smell of oils and grease fill your nose, along with stagnant air. Whatever is inside this room, this room has not been opened for a while.
[dice=Door 4 Perception]1d20+10
[dice=Door 4 Disable Device]1d20+9[dice=Door 3 Perception]1d20+10
[dice=Door 3 Disable Device]1d20+9[dice=Door 5 Perception]1d20+10
[dice=Door 5 Disable Device]1d20+9[dice=Door 6 Perception]1d20+10
[dice=Door 6 Disable Device]1d20+9
lazar goes down the hall, taking his time and being patient. he inspects the door jambs, the floors, the ceiling, any place that could hold some sort of hidden trap. And with each door, he lifts his tools into the lock and is able to free the hidden catch found within each security device.
that is...
except for the final door. A simple door with a simple lock, a layer of dust and rust upon it, exhibiting signs of disuse, or perhaps even non use. due to it's current condition, it's a little tight. You can feel the pin move, you feel the slight vibration as the internal spring compresses and decompresses. Yet the tumbler refuses to move. Annoyance flashes upon the mans face as he concentrates, finally feeling it start to move, only to have it suddenly break free! it twists around within the drum, yet his leverage tool catches inside, snapping the small metal bar that slips into the lock.
By youre leave, I shall go inform the other's that we have more information.
Jak bows once, and retreats, not waiting for permission to leave.
A soft whistle comes from down the stairs.
Hey! Talia Sedai found something. Could be important!
"Mother's Milk in a CUp!!!" Lazar says as he sighs and then puts away his tools.
"I am gonna have to get another tool. Locks broke so..." Lazar stands up and offers the door up to the stronger members of the group.
Ceirn will move up and pull out a crowbar to try and pry open the door.
Not thinking there's much room to help pull the bar, Garl lines up and slams his foot into the door, as close to the latch as he can manage.
With garl's kick, and both navarre and lazar working the crowbar, the door cracks and bursts into the room.
A thick cloud of dust fills your faces, and billows out into the hall.
As the Dust rolls out
And he begins to cough and sneeze the dust so thick his sensitive nose and throat trying to topple him.
Ceirn seems unfazed by the mild amount of dust compared to what he has experienced in the Three-Fold Land.
Coughing Lazar holds up a figure and then speaks a bit hoarseness. "Tell that to my breath!"
"I don't know. Ma always said dust bunnies would be the death of her."
you hear heavy foot falls upon the stairs as a person rushes up.
what's going on up here? jak asks in concern. seeing lazar coughing and smelling the dust, he snorts several times, clearing his nose.
Hey. Come on. Talia Sedai found something important, i think.
"So, again we abandon checking to see if there's anyone here who needs help? She can't wait the 5 or 10 minutes it will take to verify we're alone?"
"It may be full of valuables?" Lazar says then pauses and sighs.
"Yeah no sane person wants to make an Aes Sedai angry at them. Or at least for me to repeat such an instance." Lazar says as he looks into the dark and then back to the way they came.
"Oh well we will look in here later"
inside the room, Rows of shelving units freestand within the room, upon which rest more curious and random items. A small ball, chipped plate, bent fork, iron ring, the items go on and on inside this room. unlike the vault room below, there are no tagged items, no note cards, nothing to denote the importance of these items.
Jak taps his foot. fine. hurry up. I dont think anyone is here. if they were here, they'd have shouted something requesting aide. we werent exactly quiet in here. he looks at Ceirn Except for you.
[spoiler=perception check] you hear Jak mutter to himself in a whisper soft voice I havent smelled anyone being here for the last few days.
"If someone is near death they might yet be saved." Ceirn says as he gives Jak a shrug and moves to quickly open the other doors. "That last one was quite loud though. I think we can probably move more quickly to clear the building."
[b"But all these things could...Ugh Blood and Bloody ashes"[/b] Lazar says as he heads back towards the others regretting leaving the room.
Ceirn was starting to open another door, but decides to follow the light.