Roya tells the others to wait, then runs to fetch one of the brooms they had seen earlier. Carefully approaching the space where she believes she found another trapdoor, she attempts to press down on several spots on the floor with the end of the broom handle.
"Lets see if we can navigate this place like this..."
To Brandark she replies:"Hum. If you think? I'd prefer to first see if there's anything that may be triggered by a switch - but your way works too, I guess."
Using the reach of the broom, Roya brushes the area that she though she saw a trap. *CLICK* and the floor drops out revealing another 10-foot pit. Like the one Conrad fell into, the group sees a few pillows at the bottom of the pit.
Brandark examines the switch and there is no distinctive markings to give clues of what it would do or when it was used last.
Roya fetches the other two brooms and hands it to whoever will take one from her.
"I think we can navigate using those, just try and sweep the area in front as we move. We may be a bit slower, but if it means nobody else falls into one of those? I mean, maybe not all of them have pillows, you know..." - she is clearly proud of her idea to use the brooms, but also clearly reluctant to take point herself.
Joras reaches for one of the brooms then hesitates for a second and then takes it anyway. "I'll sweep ahead with anyone but my reach is a little shorter and I'm not sure how much weight is needed to trigger the traps. If they made the traps for the bigger folk, well I'm about the size and weight of a hefty two year old, bit more with the pack."
He slithers up to Conrad asking, "Should I go first, I might be able to backflip out of the way before falling, if not surprised?"
The young man with a polearm at hand looks at the others with confusion, before turning the weapon around and poking at the floor well in front of him with the butt of the handle. "Mine's longer."
Miron follows along, poking at the floor occasionally with the butt of his spear.
"I hope it's just in here that is trapped. I suppose it makes sense to put pits in the narrow passageways."
Conrad hits the switch, and nothing appears to happen. A few seconds later the switch moves back into its original position.
The group proceeds through this chamber and finds many more traps that spring open when your broom, spear, or polearm crosses it. The group also discovers two more switches around the room that are identical to the first one the group found.
In each of the open pits you all find pillows in each one. There is one exception, the center pit. Along with the pillows, you all see a small sack.
You open the sack. You find within it 6 platinum pieces. Also, within you find a small scrap of parchment that is rolled up. Opening it, it reads; “three to open, but be quick, for the door will only open for those who work together.”
"I think I should fetch that bag. Or Joras. You can just secure the rope around us, lower one of us down, then pull them back up.", Roya suggests on the center pit.
"3 to open...we found 3 switches didn't we? But do we do this now?", she looks towards the south: "That wailing is worrysome, but it's been going on for a long time. Maybe we should first take a look at the other side, the one Joras looked into briefly? I mean, that door could close behind us or something. I'd rather we look everywhere with a clear patch to the exit, first..."
She is very impressed with the platinum piece...which is more than she ever had in terms of money. But right now, survival seems a top priority - celebrating monetary gains had taken a backseat around the moment they found the dead animals outside...
Joras looks over the pit, when Roya offers for her or him to get it. "I'll do it, doesn't look hard and I'm the lightest by far.", he says. When lowered down he does a quick look and then hands the bag up. "Platinum, someone is being generous, and six pieces, I doubt that's a coincidence."
Looks at Roya, "That's a good idea, all I saw was a pool of what I hope is water. Brandark any way you could tell if the outer doors are rigged to close? Any way to block it if it is or could be?", Joras follows up.
"Big enough stack of dead bodies, or maybe pillows, should block the way open just fine. Right?"
"There's only one other door in here, maybe we need all three switches to open it. We could also use a broom to block it."
What switches are we able to find. There is that one, but where are the others
Brandark stumps around, using his Urgosh to prod before moving up.
|
Conrad squints at the piece of parchment, and nudges Roya. "Can you read it aloud," he whispers in her ear.
If he focused a lot and was given enough time, he could decipher the letters himself- but at the cost of a headache. He'd rather not give himself a headache now.
At least, the riddle is pretty straightforward, even for him. He just stares at Perry incredulously. "W-We're not going to use dead p-people to block a door! I'll grab some pillows."
"I-I can take the switch that's close to the door. In case something comes out."
Roya, or someone light, is easily lowered into the center pit. The note reads ”Three to open, but be quick, for the door will only open for those who work together.” along with 6 platinum pieces. It is safe to say that none of you have ever seen a platinum piece before, mostly only copper and silver.
The options of trying the switch is on the table, but the concern about what is behind the group in the room with running water is also brought up.
The group decides to test the three switches. Following the directions of the note found with the platinum pieces. All three are engaged and whoever is by the door hears a gear or something moving within the wall, and the door slightly pops open an inch.
Pushing the door open ever so slightly reveals a dark hallway that T’s off just 10-feet from the door. Each direction takes a sharp turn south. Darkness both ways. The wailing continues from the eastern direction.
Joras sees the Roya's and his advice is ignored so drops it. The door opens and Joras pipes up, "Any way to block this door? It would be bad if it closed and we couldn't reopen it. And it looks pretty sturdy. I'd not try to keep it open with a hand or foot that's for sure."
Joras follows with a short mournful song about an explorer in a cavern finding a door, opening it, going through, tries to stop it closing losing fingers while failing, and the closing stanza is about how the rats feasted on a desiccated corpse. Not Joras's most uplifting song.
"Sorry, that was in poor taste, but some of Jocyn's repertoire is very dark. I wonder if he went on adventures once." Joras's voice trails off.
"I'm not sure I'd trust wood or those pillows, either. Maybe some large stone? I think who...or whatever is wailing is...was trapped in there. I'd much prefer not to end up that way.", Roya responds, firmly staying this side of the door until she is reasonably certain it can't close behind her.
Miron winces as Joras sings about losing fingers.
"Are there any switches or handles on the other side?" he asks. "A piton would probably be enough to stop it from closing."
A Piton would stop it from closing. Now just to find something to drive it in with.
"There was a hammer too."
Miron pulls out one of the pitons and the hammer, and after finding a suitable crack in the stonework of the doorframe, starts to hammer it in to block the door from closing.
"Well, once we block the door open, are we going to go check the other side before we trying flipping the switches together? Didn't sound like a bad idea."
The group can use a piton and the hammer to wedge the door open. It appears that it won’t shut on its own. Perri suggest checking out the other chamber before moving on.
Perri brings up what Joras dropped. "I was all for checking the other side but everyone but Roya seems to go for this side. I guess now the choice is head now for the sounds of wailing, honestly I'm not sure I want to meet that though we'll have to soon or see about the other side that may cause us trouble from behind. I say check out the other side to lessen the chance of something sneaking up on us, but I'll go wherever everyone wants to.", Joras finishes with an uncertain frown.
The other side was full of water right? if so i think it can wait until we have had a chance to look over this side.
I think that be the idea Conrad. Lets see what is screaming then go back to look over the other set of rooms.
"Yeah, if it's someone trapped we should find them. If it's something bad, um.. we might have let it out? We should check what it is." Miron adds nervously.
"Well, let's start, then." And Perri will move towards the other side, ignoring the switches and avoiding the known trap doors.
The group moves around the east wall and the hallway continues. This near 40-foot hallway has one hallway that branches off to the west, but the wailing is coming from the door at the end of the hallway.
The mournful wailing grows louder with each step toward the door at the end of this musty hallway. There are a host of bones strewn on the floor here, many of which are cracked and broken.
Hey, whats going on up there. I cannot see much back here.
Brandark stumps along.
|
|
Once in front of the creepy door, even Conrad hesitates. This can't be good.
"N-Not much," he replies. "L-lots of, uh... Bones."
"H-Hey, I don't think whatever's inside i-is alive."
But undead creatures can't be left to survive- well, wrong choice of word, let's say "to move around and eat people".
Also, maybe they were in pain. Could they be in pain? That wailing noise certainly couldn't come from something happy. Whether to end their suffering or to prevent them to eat the living, undead stuff had to be destroyed. They were monstrosities, preying on the beauty of life.
Right? Right. Made sense enough.
Couldn't just back away, and pretend he hadn't heard anything, now, could he? Of course not.
So, here we go. Any minute now.
Conrad inhales deeply, and grabs his flail. "F-Fine. I'm going to open it. Ready?"
Miron shivers as walks past the bones scattered on the floor. Did whoever's wailing do this? Less convinced that it's someone in trouble, he tenses up as they approach the door.
He nods as Conrad prepares to open it, and prepares a spell in case whoever's behind the door isn't friendly.
"I am not even sure I WANT to see. That sounds scary...", Roya states, then puts her hand on Conrads as he reaches for the door "Do we really have to go in there?"
Shaking his head as he walks past the bones, he stops and gets a good look a the bones.
He then tries to look forward.
Conrad moves forward, looking around to see if everyone is ready, and grabs the door handle and turns it… locked. As soon as Conrad tries the handle and discovers it is locked the wailing behind the door goes silent.
Hey, whats going on up there.
Brandark waits for a response
"Looking at a locked door, and suddenly worrying about why the wailing STOPPED. You?"
Well, I cant see much right now due to all the legs and backs. Will be up there in a second, and lets see if we can be getting that door open
Brandark squeezes past everyone until he gets up to the door.
How do you propose we open it. through force or unlocking and walking in.
Joras moves back to let Brandark move up front. "I'm concerned about everything here but worry doesn't help, we do have to act. I'm sure that no good is ahead but if we want to light the lantern at least we have to find the place to do it. And giving how things have been going I'm guessing it's in the place we least want to go.", Joras says with some dark humor.
Joras line up ahead of Roya but behind Brandark.
Edit- If Roya, Miron, and Conrad let me. Otherwise he'll stay in the hall, move me as needed.
I guess I will need to see about figuring out how doors lock and unlock.
He sets his Urgosh in the seam at the bottom of the door, and starts to provide pressure.
Only to have his weapon slip loose and him slam his shoulder into the door.
|
|
"Are you alright?" Conrad winces in sympathy as Brandark hurts himself in his confusion.
"Here, hold this. I'll try..." He hands over his weapon to the dwarf, and carefully places his torch on the ground to see something.
"ANYONE IN THERE?" he tries to call out for whatever's on the other side of the door. "IF SO, BACK OFF, AND KNOCK TWICE ON A WALL!"
He then proceeds to try and kick the door in.
He hurts himself too.
Brandark moves forward with a full charge and slams into a door that doesn’t budge. This causes whatever, whoever, is on the other side to start its crying and wailing again. But this time you hear mumbling coming from the other side;[smaller] “Dimira… angry bones… not supposed to be… shield is a key…” But there is no response to Conrad’s attempt to call out. You also notice the faint light that is coming from beneath the door is shuffling around from within.
Conrad tried his hand at getting beyond the door, but he is not successful.
Joras squeezes forward and tries to talk to whatever is on the other side. "Hello there, is your name Dimira? What's that about a shield being a key? We can help if we know more."
Joras wants to be helpful but concerned about what he might be helping. Still trying to be friendly though.
Trying to get a useful response.
"They must have locked themselves in to hide from the skeletons. But what killed these ones then?" Miron asks, looking at the bones on the floor.
He looks down the corridor, watching for anything approaching while everyone is distracted.
"I can give the door a try, I guess, but why don't we look for a shield? Or is there a place in the door or wall to match a shield? Meh. Let me just try to pretend I'm strong, first."
"Ow. Thing's pretty solid. Is this a pull instead of a push?"
"I can give the door a try, I guess, but why don't we look for a shield? Or is there a place in the door or wall to match a shield? Meh. Let me just try to pretend I'm strong, first."
[dice=Strength]1d20+3
"Ow. Thing's pretty solid. Is this a pull instead of a push?"
Rubbing his bruised shoulder
Aye its in there. But you mentioned a shield. Yes, there is a shield embossed on the door. Did anyone see one so far, or are we needing to go check the water filled area.