Benedetto stands guard while Aisling does what he needs to. He paces up and down in the area, sword out, eyes peering into every shadow.
Once Aisling is done, Benedetto gives him a nod. "Time to get to the root of this. Everyone ready to go deeper?"
River simply nods. She doesn't understand exactly what Aisling has been doing, or really why he's so upset, but she can see that he is. So she stays quiet and leads the way downstairs.
Maybe she can ask later.
You hear a female ifrit voice in your head. I can sense a righteous power about you, paladin. Please watch over our friend...
As you touch Saoirse last time, there is a slight warmth - her small tattoo disappears from her skin, and appears on your own. One last small token from her...
Benedetto starts and looks around when he hears the voice. Not seeing anything, he starts to get a suspicion what it was.
"I will," he whispers under his breath. Louder, he says, "So where to now? There's a lot here to investigate, anywhere we should start or just methodically go over everything?"
You all hear a child's soft laughter from down the stairs River has stepped upon. The sound is unnatural in this place of fear and death.
River frowns. She takes children seriously, but first, there shouldn't be any children here and second, they shouldn't be happy. Unless something is very different downstairs.
So she restrains herself and continues to move cautiously rather than hurrying forwards.
Aisling equipped himself as best as he could. After testing his wrist sheaths and their content, he looks over the bodies after taking the samples. In addition, he collects few items remaining from the area.
"Wait, River!"
He shows the items to others.
"These are protective items and I believe we will need them. Benedetto is already resistant to fire, so I'd take the ring if River doesn't need it.
These are healing potions, take one at least. And the amulet is some kind of protection, I'm not sure what exactly.
Let me take a point, I'm trained specifically in trap spotting. We can probably do better in tandem."
With that, he glides down the stairs, all but disappearing from your view
"I can heal myself again, I'm lowest priority for the healing potions," Benedetto states. He follows behind the stealthy scouts, trying to be quiet himself.
Aisling grabs River's arm just as she is about to step on a cracked stair, potentially a trip hazard,
**
You all move with preternatural stealth, moving almost silently. The steps are slightly damp, and the smell of mildew grows stronger as you descend. One more giggle echoes from below, the only deathly quiet.
Aisling, around the last turn of the stairs, you spot a trap. There is a pogona skull mounted atop the arch. The yellowed bone is covered in pointed arcane symbols.
"Trap! Benedetto whispers urgently. "I can take a crack at disarming it."
Aisling looks at Benedetto. "Well spotted. Are you a colleague in security or more down to earth, streetwise training?"
"I'll just need a minute, it shouldn't be too hard..."
Aisling goes to work and in no time, the trap is bypassed.
"It should be safe to pass now, but keep in mind, it will remain active, if we have to fall back, we can try and activate it on the enemies."
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Benedetto helps Aisling out as best he can.
"It's a skill that saved my life a few times," Benedetto non-answers. "I had to pick it up myself, though, if that's what you're asking. Some tips here and there."
Retrieving a fine brush from his tools, Aisling carefully draws two parallel black lines inbetween the runes of triggering and activation, blocking the pathway. Benedetto, farther back for perspective, softly calls out the points of danger that Aisling's elbows and fingers must avoid. One small bead of sweat trickles down Aisling's forehead, nearly getting in his eyes...
and there is a small release of tension in the air. The trap has been bypassed.
You see a semi-transparent figure rush past doorway, moving to the right. They are small and dressed in white, like a little ghost-child. A small squeal follows shortly after, somewhere between pain and laughter.
Benedetto looks warily the direction the ghostly figure went. "Follow, but be wary?" he half-asks, half-suggests.
River nods. The presence of ghostly children is making her uneasy and another odd feeling she doesn't recognise.
It might be... anger?
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"Why are you here?" Giggling seems to float right next to your ears.
The hallway seems to stretch, and stretch, and stretch...
and you realize, there must be some kind of magic or illusion at work here - you seem to have made almost no progress away from the stairwell.
Benedetto starts and looks around when he hears the voice, but sees nothing. He continues on, warily watching his surroundings, which is why he notices they don't seem to be making progress.
"Something's trying to keep us from moving forward," he comments. "If it's the work of something Dark I could maybe try calling on the power of the Phoenix to banish it, but I'm not sure that's quite what this is. Any ideas?"
River, you see Gull suddenly dash down a side corridor. You see him clutching the doll of you - there is n omistaking Gull. You feel the impulse to rush after him.
"Worrying. Spooky. Let me try something before you try the divine. It is possible it is just a trick for the eyes. Here, hold the rope."
Aisling hands a rope to Benedetto, closes his eyes and puts his left hand on the wall. He starts walking, dagger forward, left hand on the wall, eyes closed so he ignores outside visual clues of his progress.
"Seems like a plan," Benedetto agrees. He keeps a firm grip on the rope with his left hand while also keeping a careful eye out on his surroundings. His sword stays in his other hand.
As he watches, it occurs to him that there's a paladin power he hasn't used in a long time. He focuses on that old sense he used to depend on when facing the Dark.
Benedetto, there is no suggestion of evil magicks on the walls or ceiling. Upon closer inspection of the floor, however, you do see...footprints of some kind, outlined in a vile, writhing black. You can surmise that while this strange spell is not evil, a creature of Dark has passed by here recently.
Aisling begins making progress - the presence of the rope as an outside measure of distance breaks through the illusion. Your trap-sensitive fingertips feel the slippery illusion, the sensation of movement while walking in place. Now that you are truly moving, the spell feels like little slugs crawling across your legs.
When Benedetto gets done concentrating, he hears a faint scuffle, turns to his left, and realizes that River is scampering off down a side corridor (that was not present a few moments ago)
River is a. somewhat impulsive, b. very protective of children and c. alarmingly lacking in guile or suspicion. So when she sees Gull her first instinct is to go and get it back.
So she runs after him.
Fast.
"River! It's an illusion! A trap!" Benedetto shouts, too late.
"Aisling! We've got to go after her!" He starts running after her, still holding onto the rope so Aisling can follow him.
Aisling, happy that his theory proved true, frowns at the yelling. That is not a way of sneaking through temples.
Still, the group helped him in the prison even if only with the swarms and not actually freeing him.
He runs after the pair, coiling the rope as he goes.
Despite River's incredible speed, Aisling and Benedetto leap into action, turning a few corners and catching up with River.
River, when you catch up with Gull, you find yourself about to hug a statue covered in steel spikes---you pull back just in time, perhaps due to your companions' shouts; you feel the pain of their razor sharp tips, but no blood is drawn.
"River! I know you're worried about Gull, but anything you see down here is likely to be an illusion," Benedetto says after River has safely pulled back from the statue. He glances over to Aisling. "Let's get back and not fall for any more tricks, if we can help it."
He offers the other end of the rope to River. "We may want to stay in constant contact as best we can."
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"Please, don't shout next time too. We're in enemy territory." Aisling suggests to Benedetto
"If she's under spell, it will not make a difference, and if not, she can hear you without yelling."
"Do you have a specific target in here or we're searching? We can simply continue from here."
"Come play. We can make juice and be friends."
The scenery shifts, another illusion, but this one is more benign - a carpet of translucent red flowers crops up from the stone floor, leading you to a particular door around the corner.
"We're trying to figure out the root cause of all of this," Benedetto replies to Aisling's question. "Hopefully we'll know it when we see it."
"I feel like we should go to any door but that one," he comments when the illusion changes. "Should we do the same trick again, one of us on the end of the rope feeling things out?"
"I don't like this." River says simply. She's obviously getting extremely uncomfortable in these tunnels and Aisling's sniping doesn't seem to be making things better.
"I can go first again. Maybe there is something behind the door. Even if evil. Better than just go blindly throug?"
"I can go first again. Maybe there is something behind the door. Even if evil. Better than just go blindly through?"
Aisling moves forward until he can read the papers and notes.
Oddly, there are no traps, or written curses. Every note is done in a quavering hand, some nearly illegible, some painstakingly neat. Most are warnings: Get out and Stay away!. Others have cryptic messages, like: "there are many ways to Fear.
It strikes you this is too odd and slightly pathetic to be an illusion or a trap.
You hear a high-pitched voice muttering. The voice gets louder and softer as if they are moving around the room. You catch a few louder words like YES! and TRIUMPH! but the rest is difficult to make out through the thick door.
Benedetto, you get strong feeling of wrongness coming from beyond the door. Your heart beats faster, as if your body knows something awful is about to happen.
River, you feel a deep sense of sorrow in the walls, like the stones themselves are orphan children who need a hug.
"These are warnings. I don't see anything dangerous, but inside is someone that might be crazy, possessed, or both. Listen for a bit while I
check if I can open the door. I won't do anything until we agree, just to study it."
Aisling checks the doors lock and other security mechanisms while Benedetto and River listen to the voice.
"My two cents, we're looking for something that we know nothing about in here. Even a lunatic may hold some information. Hopefully, they're not holding some kind of abomination here. And I don't hear other voices."
"From what I'm feeling, whatever the source of all this..." Benedetto waves a hand at the illusions, "Is probably behind the door. Based on what we've seen... I wouldn't be surprised if it's the spirit of a dead child, warped by pain. If it is something like that, I hope we can figure out how to put it to rest."
"I don't have anything to affect the spirits. But I do have ways to see through the wall. Just a moment, please."
Aisling puts his hands on the door and concentrates. The gems on his gloves shine for a second before they become two little windows into the room beyond.
"I don't have anything to affect the spirits. But I do have ways to see through the wall. Just a moment, please."
Aisling puts his hands on the door and concentrates. The gems on his gloves shine for a second before they become two little windows into the room beyond.
Benedetto may add help bonus too, we have time I think
The interior reminds you of nothing so much as a messy child's room. Papers, food, rags, and other garbage litter the floor. There is a single adult elen inside, huddled against ragged blankets. They are breathing heavily, as if the exertion of those few words you heard through the door were exhausting. The smooth blue-green skin (sickly, almost gangrenous) makes you think this is an undine.
The elen is shaking their head and mouthing the word "no", their attention fixed on some point you cannot see, but there is no one else in the room, as far as you can tell.