"I think I know that story!" Xylas says excitedly. 'So what's it doing? Just standing around like us? Go see what it wants, Thorfinn. Maybe it'll trade the key for some oil."
Torch in one hand and javelin in the other, Thorfinn approaches the metal man, stopping when it comes into view and calling a greeting. "Well met!"
As Thorfinn strides forward to offer a friendly greeting the now-familiar crow fades into view. It has somehow acquired some popcorn and tosses it up in the air with it's talon. "This is going to be awesome..." It says giddily before catching the tasty snack in its open mouth.
Without warning, the floor beneath Cordia oepns to a ten foot deep pit!
The four-armed statue begins making a steady ticking sound and it's arms whir about. In a tinny voice it says, "Please present crest for passage. You have ten seconds to comply. Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven..."
A louder grinding of stone and creaking of metal accompanies the noise of chains and gears slowly reseting the trap doors.
"Aw, hells."Xylas groans. "Are you OK, Cordia? Thorfinn, do you think it's talking about that plaque? There was a rooster over crossed spears that kinda looked like a crest. I don't think that I have anough time to go get it. Maybe act it out?"
Bumolin is startled and becomes a little pale when the statue suddenly starts to speak. When it starts counting he takes out his "ceremonial bowl" with slightly shaking fingers. He takes out three of the small round stones, he uses as slingshot ammunition, and drops them into the bowl with a soft but audible "klink". Then he draws a rune around the stones into the dirt at the bottom of the bowl. The stones start to glow with a faint blue shimmer.
He takes the stones out of the bowl and hands them to Roxy.
"If the worst comes to the worst try to hit it with those - I'd do it myself, but you are the better shot!"
Roxy grabs the stones and readies an action to sling the statue if it becomes hostile. "Good old Rock, Nothing beats Rock"
Without warning, the floor beneath Cordia opens to a ten-foot deep pit!
Grumbling, Thorfinn retreats from the metal man and climbs down the wall into the pit.
Xylas nocks an arrow, but isn't certain whether to aim at the metal man or the raven.
Without warning, the floor beneath Cordia opens to a ten foot deep pit!
Fall Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 DC 20 Reflex save will negate the damage. I will also allow Corida to choose which side of the pit she leaps to on a successful save (failure is bottom of the pit!).
The trap had caught her unawares and she began to fall, much to her dismay. Trying to use her light-footedness and general grace to stop herself from falling, Cordia just couldn't manage it and she fell, landing hard at the bottom of the pit; winded and groaning, a pain in her right ankle.
"Are you OK, Cordia?"
"Dammit! No, I'm hurt. I've done something to my ankle." The pit was ten feet deep and she wondered if she could find a way out of it on her own. "Someone toss down a rope, so I can try to climb out?"
Xylas jumps to it switching out his bow for his rope which he quickly lowers to help his companions up. "Don't you all worry. I'll hit you both up with a heal in a moment."
Thorfinn scampers down into the pit without dropping too hard to the bottom. The metal man immediately discontinues it's countdown. A whirring sound mixes with the hiss of pneumatics releasing air pressure.
The trap slowly closes, but Thorfinn and Cordia have more than enough time to use the rope to climb back up. The bird has disappeared by the time the trap has closed.
Xylas coils his rope and stows it before beginning a song, "Bump-bump-bump. Give me that old time religion, Give me that-- Old Time religion. Give me that-- Old time religion. It's good enough for me. Tha-a-ank yo-u-u, Erastil. As he sticks the ending, light radiates out flowing through his companions.
Steadily and surely Cordia climbed up and out of the pit using Xylas' rope and the wall of the pit. Her ankle throbbed, yet it didn't stop her from getting to the top and standing gingerly on her feet. When Xylas' healing energy covered her body, she felt the tingling sensation and she thought it would be enough to right her ankle, yet it fell shy of it wholly healing. There was a twinge now, but it wouldn't hamper her movement. Cordia moved away from the edge/s of the pit.
"Thanks for the rope and healing, Xylas. Once we get the chance to rest, I'm sure my ankle'll come right."
Looking to Thorfinn, she asked the barbarian, "You right to move ahead? Hopefully I'll keep better watch as we go."
Argh. I missed the pit trap and I got hurt. Keener eyes, Cordi. Keener eyes save lives.
"Hold up there, Cordia. The metal man asked about a crest and there was that plaque back in the raven room. Thorfinn, you want to help me go get it to see if that works? I'm sure Erastil is happy to keep mending our wounds, but maybe we should try and avoid a scrap if possible."
"On that note, maybe we should try that lever Roxy was looking at. It's possible that might lock the floor so it doesn't open on us again. Can anyone tell if that's what it's for?"
"I could take a look if there is anything magical about the mechanism. But that probaly won't help much."
Xylas lets Thorfinn carry the heavy plaque back to the others while they override the pit. "So, shall we see if this is the crest that the metal man wants? If it doesn't work, we can still just throw it at him. It ought to give him a heck of a dent."
Thorfinn nods and carries the plaque back to the pit trap and the metal man.
Bumolin feels the divine magic heal several small burns from the electrical attack of the cloud and sooth his nerves. He takes a deep breath. Then he repeats the ritual with the black paste using a small portion of it still sticking to the bowl.
He takes a look at the lever and at the metal man.
Just as she was about to suggest an alternative such as a rubbing, Xylas and Thorfinn left and returned with the heavy plaque. The barbarian will have to carry that around. I don't envy him.
She answered Xylas' earlier question regarding the lever, "I do believe the lever is intended to manually operate the trapdoor."
She answered Xylas' earlier question regarding the lever, "I do believe the lever is intended to manually operate the trapdoor."
"Excellent! Go ahead and pull that lever, Roxy. You were right." Once the trapfloor is locked, Xylas moves forward with Thorfinn presenting the plaque. "Is this the crest you're looking for metal man? We're just looking to pass through."
Xylas and Thorffin stride forward while ignoring the programmed message requesting a passphrase. Roxy reaches in and throws the lever. The floor makes a loud "clunk" as some mechanism locks into place.
The metal man once again ticks and whirs to life, repeating its request from before. This time, however, instead of initiating a countdown, it looks at the heavy plaque with red light-up eyes. The eyes flash from red to green as it relaxes to its standby stance once more. "You are free to pass. The Good Baron Sarvo wills it," it's tinny-timbred voice says as the pneumatics release air pressure with a hiss.
Peeking around the corner shows a closed, heavy, iron door down a short hallway.
"Hooray!" We didn't have to fight the scary metal man!"
Xylas lets out a relieved sigh. "Good work, team." He frowns at the iron door ahead. "Didn't someone say something about a floating key?"
"I think that metallic key was for the metal man not for a door? Let me try pick the lock, alright?"
Cordia moved to the place by the closed door and pulled out her common thieves tools. Kneeling at eye level with the lock, she began to steadily work at it.
Cordia's assessment of the key seems correct, as it is larger than a door key, with a wide flange on one end and a single, simple tooth on the other. It looks to fit a slot in the back of the metal man.
She takes the time to really work at the lock, which turns put to be a good idea since the lock was especially tricky and though old, expertly crafted. She only barely manages to get the tumblers into position and disengage the lock.
Xylas smiles, "You're really good at this lockpicking thing, Cordia. This place has been so wild, I can't even guess what's ahead." He glances back over his shoulder to make sure the raven isn't there.
Blade ready, Thorfinn advances to the iron door, alert for any attackers. Once everyone else has caught up, he indicates to Cordia that she should open it.
Cordia was relieved when she heard the awaited *click* telling her the lock was open. She rolled up her tools and put them away in her pack.
Xylas smiles, "You're really good at this lockpicking thing, Cordia."
Cordia smirked and replied pleasantly in lowered voice, "A childhood trick. I'm glad I can help."
Noting Thorfinn's gesture to open the door, she first gave the portal a thorough once over to see if there were traps on/around it before trying to open the heavy, iron door.
"It's an old iron door, so not sure how quiet it'll be as I try to open it. Be on the ready," she discreetly advised.
Cordia gripped the handle and pulled the door steadily open, hoping it wouldn't make too much noise to alert any unwanted attention. She waited to the side for Thorfinn to enter first; her rapier now in hand once more. From the doorway, Cordia peeked inside the darkness? trying to see if there was a new threat waiting for them in the shadows.
Roxy keeps her sling loaded with the magic stones.
Bumolin follows and peeks into the new room with his marked eye.
The door is remarkably quiet as it swings open. Cordia can see it was expertly crafted. In fact, she can see it is a vault door! The air that wafts out carries the smell of rot.
Beyond the door is a rather large room with a cage of thick iron bars running floor to ceiling along the south wall. The furthest reaches of the room are still concealed by darkness, but it looks like the back wall has partially collapsed.
Barely visible in the shadows where the wall is damaged is a humanoid figure. Cordia can barely make it out, wearing tattered and archaic clothing while crouched in the crack in the room. It was watching to the north, but slowly turns to face the now open-door.
Bumolin stays behind Thorfinn and Cordia, peering through the opening between them. When the creature moves, he grabs his stick a bit tighter and calls out: "Hello, who is there? ...Are you alright?"
She inwardly groaned when Bumolin called out to the creature. Even so, she quietly warned her companions, "In the shadows, where the wall is damaged, crouched in the crack, is a humanoid figure in tattered and archaic clothing. It's facing the door now. Be wary, for it could be dangerous."
Cordia turned to look at Xylas, asking, "Do you know what it is?"
"Hmm? Is it another ghost?" Xylas asks.
Noting the looks of disapproval from his companions, Xylas grimaces. "Well, I was working and Erastil is more about practical things like blessing crops and hunting. I didn't expect that I'd be crawling around haunted dungeons like this." Xylas grips his holy symbol ready to ward it off if the raggedy figure gets aggressive.
The Ulfen nods, mollified. "Of course. Erastil wouldn't grant you spells if he didn't approve of your focus on praxis over theory or poesis, in the Aristotelian sense of the terms." Then he promptly runs his head into the doorjamb. "Sorry...what was I saying?"
"it's not just me. This place get's to us all. And this is probably just another prisoner of this place. Like the ghosts we met before."